Most people are well aware of the negative impacts of asbestos on their health. For centuries this hazardous material has affected the human population, but this risk reaches far beyond contaminating indoor air quality. Far fewer people are aware of asbestos’s effect on the environment, and with construction and demolition projects being performed on older properties, it’s important to become aware of the risk. In this blog, we will discuss the ways asbestos contamination can impact the outdoors. [Read more…] about Does Asbestos Have an Effect on the Environment?
Environment
Is Your Building Making Your Employees Sick?
As an employer, you want to look out for the health and welfare of your employees, especially their long-term health and even their lives. This extends beyond simply needing a healthy workforce to care for those who work for you. Having a building or property that makes your employees sick is dangerous on so many levels, from the above health conditions to issues with your bottom line, legal liability, and government investigation. Let’s learn a bit about how Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) can affect your business in offices, factories, warehouses, and more. [Read more…] about Is Your Building Making Your Employees Sick?
How the EPA’s Significant New Use Rule Could Affect Asbestos
On June 1st, 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), specifically the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, proposed a new rule concerning asbestos. This rule, the “Significant New Use Rule” or SNUR had two parts: first blocking some of the currently unregulated uses of asbestos, and then building a new framework for those and other new uses of asbestos to gain formal approval after testing and a safety review by the EPA. For asbestos watchdogs, this is why the SNUR is concerning, as it could potentially bring in new asbestos products into the US for use. [Read more…] about How the EPA’s Significant New Use Rule Could Affect Asbestos
What Influences Your Indoor Air Quality?
In our blog, Understanding Sick Building Syndrome, we talked about building environments that make people ill. A critical part of that is the indoor air quality and all of the factors that influence it. In this blog, we’ll go over the three major parts that make up indoor air quality: the air itself, how the air is circulated, and the particles in the air that can negatively impact the human body. [Read more…] about What Influences Your Indoor Air Quality?
Understanding Asbestos Contamination
While asbestos can be found in many homes, from construction materials to home appliances, these uses were, until its ban in after the court cases of the 80s and 90s, on purpose. Asbestos was used in building and appliance construction due to its heat resistance and insulation properties, meaning you could find it in anything from popcorn ceilings to oven linings. However, there have been some items that contain asbestos by accident, and this contamination happens long before materials reach the factory. [Read more…] about Understanding Asbestos Contamination
