Asbestos Removal and Asbestos Abatement in Oregon City, Oregon

It’s unsettling to find out that you are surrounded by asbestos.  It’s critical that asbestos is removed carefully and by professionals.  That’s why we do asbestos removal in the Oregon City, Oregon area – so that you can rest easy.  38.4% of households in Oregon city were built between 1940-1979, the high point of asbestos usage.

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a heat resistant serpentine silicate mineral that can be woven, or sprayed, and used as a binder or an insulator. These minerals all are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each of which can be made airborne by abrasion and other processes. It maintains its fibrous shape even when broken into microscopic pieces. It is invisible to the human eye, easy to inhale, and the lungs are not able to expel it back out. It is carcinogenic because it gets stuck in the lungs and acts as an irritant, which causes the body to react.

It is really important that the asbestos abatement process is done carefully and by specially trained and licensed professionals.

Here are the approximate steps (only to be done by a professional. This is a simplification, and not a DYI guide!)

1. Set up a regulated work area.  Set up containment plastic to limit the demolition area and keep the dangerous air in one controllable place. Set up air filtration and negative air equipment.
2. Workers in full protective gear will do the physical removal of the asbestos-containing material.
3. The containment area will be vacuumed with a HEPA vac system, and wet-wiped.
4. The area of removal plus the plastic will be sprayed with an encapsulant to tie down any remaining asbestos particles.
5. Depending on the amount and type of asbestos product being removed, an air clearance test may be done.

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Link to Oregon DEQ homeowner information: https://www.oregon.gov/deq/Hazards-and-Cleanup/Pages/Asbestos-for-Homeowners.aspx

Link to Oregon OSHA Asbestos requirements: https://osha.oregon.gov/OSHAPubs/2129.pdf

Oregon DEQ requirements for asbestos abatement: https://secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/displayDivisionRules.action?selectedDivision=1557

Commonly asked questions:

What does asbestos look like?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral composed of thin fibers. It is heat resistant and maintains its needle-like shape even when it’s broken into extremely small pieces. The term asbestos is used to refer to six separate naturally-occurring silicate minerals. It is found naturally in rocks and soil. Somewhere between 8% and 12% of the Earth’s crust is asbestos rock. It is very useful as a binder and an insulator so it has been used widely in construction.

What problems does asbestos cause?

Asbestos causes several types of respiratory disease including mesothelioma and lung cancer. This risk is greatly increased for smokers. Because it breaks down to such a fine size, it’s able to be inhaled easily and then the inhaled particles get stuck in the lungs, causing scar tissue to form. Because of this, it is a known carcinogen, which means “cancer-causing after exposure”. Asbestos exposure increases the risk of mesothelioma, lung cancer, and less frequently other types of cancer including gastrointestinal, colorectal, kidney, throat, gallbladder, and esophageal. An additional disease that asbestos can cause is asbestosis. It is a progressive disease caused by the scarring of the lung tissue. There is no way to reverse this damage. While asbestos itself is just a mineral, because of its size and the ease of inhalation, it is very dangerous to human health.

What are the problems caused by asbestos exposure?

The three major diseases caused by asbestos exposure are asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer.

Asbestosis symptoms include shortness of breath, tightness of the chest, chest pain, persistent cough, and more. Asbestosis has a long latency period, so typically asbestos exposure does not cause disease until approximately 15 to 30 years following the initial exposure. 

What types of asbestos are there?

By far, the most common type of asbestos in Oregon City, Oregon is Chrysotile asbestos. It is primarily white and gray, and has curly fibers that are difficult to separate. Amosite is the second-most-common type of asbestos in the Oregon City area. It is brown in color and most often sprayed as an insulative material. Crocidolite is a type of blue asbestos that is more common in other parts of the world but still occasionally is found in Oregon City.

How much does asbestos removal cost?

This varies greatly. Things taken into consideration are the quantity and type of building materials that contain the asbestos. More safety measures have to be used when dealing with sprayed-on products such as popcorn ceiling, rather than something that will stay intact when removed. Oregon DEQ and Oregon OSHA have very specific safety requirements for workers and air quality safety, and DEQ additionally has permit fees based on quantity. It’s very difficult to give an answer without knowing the specifics of square footage and material type. We’d be happy to give more information over the phone after we can discuss the specifics.

What Materials Might Contain Asbestos?

Although most people are aware of the potential for asbestos content in popcorn ceiling, vinyl tiles, and pipe insulation; any building material that is not made of wood, metal, or glass may contain asbestos. While most common in homes and buildings built between 1940-1975, asbestos is still found in building materials at Home Depot today.

Find more asbestos info in our knowledge base: Click here

Oregon City Asbestos Removal

Verity Restoration follows the laws established by Oregon DEQ and OR-OSHA to safely test and remove asbestos-containing materials (ACM). Both company owners are Oregon certified abatement supervisors and federal AHERA asbestos inspectors.

Verity Restoration Asbestos Abatement

If you are in need of asbestos abatement in the course of water damage, contact us today. We provide fast, comprehensive service and can help make sure your project continues without delay. Asbestos is a serious concern, and we can make sure that you know exactly what you are dealing with before you begin. Contact us today!

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