How to Remove Asbestos

Because of the health hazards, removing asbestos can be a very involved procedure. We recommend that you surf the Internet for specific directions to follow, depending on the location of the asbestos, and degree of difficulty related to the removal.

The most important aspects of asbestos removal, are the protection of the people doing it, and the protection of others and the environment, by containing the materials being removed. This means that anyone actively involved in removing asbestos should be outfitted with protective clothing, gloves, goggles, and breathing equipment/masks that must not be removed while in the room where the material is. Anyone who leaves the room must remove their clothing at the door, and put on fresh clothing before they re-enter. It also means that wherever the asbestos is, for example insulation in a ceiling, it must be dampened down as it is removed, and kept damp right up until it is packaged for proper disposal, in order to prevent the spread of fibers.

It is also necessary to protect the immediate environment by containing the asbestos as much as possible. If the removal takes place in a specific room, many people will use plastic to line all walls, and the floor, taping it together so no fibers can escape through seams.

All asbestos material should be wet down before you start working on it, and continue to wet it during the removal process. This can be accomplished easily with a tank sprayer of 2-3 gallon capacity, containing one cup of liquid dish detergent for every five gallons of water.