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How to Contain Asbestos While Removing it

Keep in mind, the primary dangers of asbestos consist in airborne dust. The best way to prevent asbestos dust from flying in the air is to keep it wet. The amount of dust likely to be raised depends on the asbestos-containing products being dealt with, how friable it is, and how much disturbance will occur. Power tools always raise more dust than hand tools, but there are times when power tools cannot be avoided, such as when dealing with naturally occurring asbestos in rock, or demolishing similarly hard materials such as cement. In these cases, a system that produces a constant spray of water to match the dust being released may be needed. The professionals who operate these systems can control the spray so that it steadily captures the microscopic fibers from the air and brings them to the floor where they can be cleaned up.

It's important in general demolition to isolate materials that may be ACM from other debris. Even if the ACM is non-friable (such as in floor tiles), once it mixes with other debris it has to be treated as dangerous. And ordinary demolition methods, such as chipping up vinyl flooring, can create friable asbestos.

Any work area where friable asbestos-containing material is being disturbed should be isolated from the rest of the house. The first concern is to shut down ventilation systems (sealing them, not just closing vents) and lining windows and doors with plastic sheeting and duct tape. At least three people are needed to accomplish any significant job of asbestos abatement. Two people should stay inside the contained area to do the work, and one at the entrance to supply additional water or tools as the work proceeds. This prevents the workers from having to go in and out of the contained area. Workers can track asbestos dust out with them, and that would defeat the whole purpose of isolating the project. All of the walls, ceiling, and floor areas that are not subject to asbestos removal should also be covered with plastic sheeting. Extend this protection into an adjacent hallway or room to create a transitional "airlock" where the "gofer" can hand in tools and materials to the workers. This is also where the workers can remove their protective gear at the end of the day, have an initial wash to remove any dust that did get around the edges of their gear, and seal the gear and washrags into asbestos-disposal bags.

Everything that may have been exposed to asbestos-containing material goes into these bags wet, or into other labeled, leak-tight containers to be carried to a designated landfill. The bags are carefully sealed, and then sealed again inside other bags. Pieces too large to put in bags (do not cut them up and raise more dust) can be wrapped in two layers of thick plastic sheeting and secured with tape. Even the truck beds or other containers used to carry these packages must be lined with two layers of heavy sheeting. All containers and vehicles are labeled to read "Danger - Contains Asbestos Fibers; Avoid Creating Dust; Cancer and Lung Disease Hazard"; to specify the Class 9 hazard rating that authorities along the way will need to know should there be any kind of accident. This also records the name of the property owner and location where the waste was generated.

How to Keep Asbestos Contained

Avoid raising dust from asbestos-containing material whenever possible. Try to maintain the dust so it's easy to collect at the end of the project. The best way to keep asbestos dust out of the air is to wet the asbestos-containing materials. This can be done with a hand-held spray bottle, or an industrial mister that maintains dampness in the air. Wet asbestos fibers tend to fall on the floor while dry asbestos fibers can hang in the air for days or weeks and create an invisible threat remaining long after visible dust has settled.

The second method is to mechanically contain any dust that might be raised. For a room-sized operation, the walls, floors, and ceilings should be sealed with plastic. For smaller jobs, using "glove bags" that zip over a segment of insulated pipe or ductwork can be handy. Everything used to contain asbestos, though, becomes toxic waste and must eventually go into asbestos-disposal bags for the landfill.

How to Dispose Asbestos-Containing Materials

Waste that contains or is contaminated with asbestos (including the gear used to protect workers and to clean up the worksite, and other building materials such as underlayment that supported the asbestos-containing materials) is generally buried. It can't be buried just anywhere, though, because of the risk of future disturbances that may release toxic fibers into the air. Each state has licensed landfills designated to receive asbestos waste and bury it according to federal and state requirements.

Different landfills may be licensed to handle different amounts of asbestos waste. Smaller landfills will only take waste that was generated in a specific geographic area. You or the abatement contractor will need to make arrangements in advance with the proper landfill (notice requirements range from 24 hours to weeks) in order to have a trench of proper size and configuration ready to receive the waste. Trained and experienced workers are on-hand to transfer the waste safely into the trench and immediately bury it. You will also be responsible (alone or through your abatement contractor) for having the asbestos-containing materials safely packaged for burial, usually in double layers of thick plastic or leak-proof, airtight containers. If the waste comes without warning, in the wrong quantity, or improperly contained, it can be refused by the landfill and you can be reported to state authorities and held liable for improper packaging.

How to Package Removed Asbestos-Containing Materials

The key is to prevent the dispersal of dust. The best way to accomplish that is by double wrapping or bagging the materials in thick plastic, which is sealed with plastic tape. The most common form of this packaging is a bag within a bag, each one twisted and taped tightly (the "gooseneck"). Materials that don't fit in bags can be double-wrapped in sheets of the same plastic and sealed with the same tape. Federal regulations also allow the placement of bulk material in a larger container, which is double-lined with even thicker plastic and sealed with tape.

These packages must be labeled with specific information stating the containment of asbestos, the hazards associated with the toxic dust, and identifying the origin of the material. The packages travel to a landfill in a closed container or truck that is double-lined with thick, tape-sealed plastic. On the day the waste is generated, all packages head straight to a specialized, ready-and-waiting landfill, where the packages are immediately covered with soil.

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