Fast Responding & Reliable Professional Staff
Your #1 Choice For Asbestos Testing & Abatement in San Antonio
Home Asbestos Testing
Includes Lab Testing
- Visual Inspection
- Up to 5 Sampled Areas
- Residential Asbestos Report
- Scope Of Work For Abatement
Here are some steps to take when you think you have an asbestos problem
Safety Is The #1 Concern
Asbestos can be very hazardous to your health and we recommend staying clear of the materials that you suspect are asbestos until they've been properly dealt with.
Call An Asbestos Testing Company
In the state of Texas, a licensed asbestos inspector is required for professional asbestos testing. We have a licensed and certified team that provides testing and abatement services. We collect samples of the suspected materials and they're sent to a lab for analysis. We provide the reports to you after analysis.
Relax & let us handle the details
Once we've identified the materials are positive for asbestos, we put together a scope of work or protocol. Included in this would be a cost analysis and total to properly perform the asbestos abatement.
Call Us 24/7 For Emergency Help
Asbestos is a Human Health and Liability Risk
Asbestos is a naturally occurring material that can be pulled into a fluffy substance. It was once used as a magical mineral, but it is now a public health problem. Asbestos is an effective insulator and can be mixed with other materials, in order to make it stronger. The qualities of this mineral make it profitable for businesses to use in a variety of building materials, but it also makes it toxic and a problem for health. Here are some common materials that may contain asbestos and materials that we look for to provide asbestos testing and abatement services.
- Pipes
- Cement
- Ceiling Tiles
- Ceiling Textures
- Floor Tiles
- Plaster
- Joint Compound
- Roofing Shingles
- Roofing Mastic
- Siding
Much misinformation exists about asbestos. Here’s what homeowners, property managers, and contractors need to know:
Asbestos is regulated in the U.S., but it is not banned. It is entirely possible for a building built in 2010 to have Asbestos-Containing Material (ACM) in it, and there are records of this being the case. In addition, there are no regulations on imported building materials. Many countries of origin for building materials do not regulate asbestos. As such, even for buildings constructed recently, you must presume ACM is present and hire a licensed asbestos consultant to test building materials for asbestos.
Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring minerals that are heat resistant and have been used in the construction industry to create building materials. Asbestos was once desirable due to its heat-resistant and flame-retardant properties. However, it is now known that asbestos fibers can cause devastating and fatal chronic illnesses. These illnesses include mesothelioma, various lung cancers, and asbestosis. 1
Asbestos is harmful when disturbed as it is “friable,” or easily breaks into particulate matter that can be inhaled into the lungs. Asbestos fibers can be unseen by your family and friends, microscopic in size. These fibers when disturbed can be aspirated deep into the lungs, causing scarring, the aforementioned chronic illnesses, and even death.2
The Risks Of Asbestos
One of the ways asbestos can enter the body is by breathing. The material isn’t usually considered harmful unless it’s releasing fibers or dust into the air where it can be ingested or inhaled. The fibers then become trapped in the mucous membranes of the throat and nose and some will pass into the lungs. Once trapped in the body, fibers begin to cause health problems. It’s hard to destroy asbestos fibers and the body can’t break them down once they are in the body or lung tissues. Since they remain in place, they can cause diseases. The diseases associated with asbestos include lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis.
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer and will commonly occur in the thin membrane lining of the abdomen, chest, and lungs. Since it’s rare, only about 200 cases are diagnosed each year, but virtually all of these cases are linked to asbestos exposure
Lung cancer is the number one cause of death related to asbestos exposure.
Symptoms of lung cancer can include coughing or a change in breathing, as well as persistent chest pains or shortness of breath. Those who have been exposed to asbestos and another carcinogen, such as cigarette smoke, have a much greater risk of developing lung cancer than just those exposed to asbestos.
Asbestosis is a chronic non-cancerous respiratory disease. The inhaled asbestos will aggravate the lung tissue, which causes it to scar. Symptoms include shortness of breath or a dry crackling sound in the lungs when inhaling. In advanced stages, there may be cardiac failure. There is no treatment for this and the risk is minimal for those who aren’t exposed to asbestos.
How Asbestos Testing Is Done
Having asbestos testing done is useful for an older home if you are planning renovations. Unless the materials containing the asbestos are clearly labeled, it can be hard to identify them. While removing asbestos can be a hard process, the first step is to properly identify it. Asbestos can exist in a variety of different areas within the home. Some of these areas include the ceiling spray, floor tiles, insulations, linoleums, exterior stuccos, and roofing. It’s important to start the testing process before a renovation or demolition takes place. You will need to contact a professional asbestos testing company in San Antonio and this should not be done on your own. A professional will come to the home or business and identify any areas where asbestos could be present. They will then extract a sample and send it for testing.
Air Samples: Phase Contrast Microscopy (PCM) is a common way to measure fiber concentrates that show if asbestos is present in the area. This method is commonly used because it will take less time and is cheaper than other methods. It won’t positively identify any fibers, but it does give a gauge on the types of fibers that are present in that air sample. If fibers are too small then another method, called Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), is used. This is one of the most sophisticated methods and can be standard practice, since it will allow researchers to find extremely small particles.
Building Material Samples: When testing building materials, different methods are employed. Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM) is commonly used. This process uses the properties of polarized light to analyze any mineral-specific properties. It allows researchers to find asbestos particles.
Soil and Water Testing: Soil and water testing is used for environmental investigations to determine whether or not the illegal dumping of any materials with asbestos has occurred. Soil tests can use PLM but can also be done using TEM. Any water samples will be analyzed with TEM.
References:
1. Mayo Clinic; https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mesothelioma/symptoms-causes/syc-20375022
2. CFR 1926; https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.1101
Your Asbestos Removal Specialists
At Crown Restoration, we stay up-to-date on all things asbestos related. Our technicians go through rigorous training both in-house and off-site asbestos licensing, training, and classes. We continue to learn, grow and become a better restoration company every day. As a locally owned San Antonio asbestos abatement company, we have earned a reputation for excellence and delivering premium quality service at every turn.
