Removal of Asbestos siding

[EddieWalker]

The danger in asbestos is that when it becomes airborne and you inhale it, the fibers remain in your lungs and will eventually lead to death if you get enough of it, over a long enough period of time. I know people that lost parents due to this after working in it for 30 years and then they died after retiring.

People that work at removing it, do this every day, and they are exposed to it every day, so they have to be extra careful to avoid breathing it in.

Homes all over the country have it as siding, insulation around pipes and even in the flooring of their house. If left alone, it's totally harmless. The problems are when it's broken up and you breath in the fibers.

For me, it's very similar to walking past a person that smokes cigarettes. I inhale the smoke and hate it, but I understand that it would take a very long time of this happening before I risk any health issues. Asbestos siding is usually nailed on and can easily be removed one piece at a time just like it was installed. Just pry it off nice and clean.

 

[Diggin It]

Dare i say it? The only danger from asbestos is inhaling large quantities of the dust fibers.

I think some of the most hazardous occupations were ship building, boiler work and automotive brakes where it was often used in its non-bound form and then it was repeated exposure over a long period of time.

Yup, high concentrations over long periods. OP will be outside and with limited exposure of nearly zero concentration of loose fibers.


Safety folks are paid to make sure safety people get paid by not letting the commoners do stuff safety people should get paid for.

 

[Diggin It]

For me, it's very similar to walking past a person that smokes cigarettes. I inhale the smoke and hate it, but I understand that it would take a very long time of this happening before I risk any health issues.

Or walking along a beach. Lots of people drown in the ocean or get attacked by sharks or jellyfish.

 

[Atchuuu]

I do appreciate all of the responses. I didn't post a questions simply to disregard the wisdom of the group. However, I tend to agree with Eddie and others who say it can be done safely with our without professional help. The state does not regulate individual, residential, removal by an owner. From MDEQ

Exemptions:
Demolition and renovation activities associated with individual residences, including residential buildings with four or fewer dwelling units, generally are exempt from the requirements of MDEQ asbestos regulations. A residential structure does not qualify for the exemption when:

the demolition or renovation activity is part of a public, private, or commercial development project
and the project involves more than one small residential building on a site.


Disposal is as simple as taking it to the dump. I am inclined to buy the proper safety gear and do it myself. I really don't see the benefit of covering it up with another product and would be afraid that nailing or screwing into the product will cause more airborne fibers then removing it.

 

[ultrarunner]

The danger in asbestos is that when it becomes airborne and you inhale it, the fibers remain in your lungs and will eventually lead to death if you get enough of it, over a long enough period of time. I know people that lost parents due to this after working in it for 30 years and then they died after retiring.

People that work at removing it, do this every day, and they are exposed to it every day, so they have to be extra careful to avoid breathing it in.

Homes all over the country have it as siding, insulation around pipes and even in the flooring of their house. If left alone, it's totally harmless. The problems are when it's broken up and you breath in the fibers.

For me, it's very similar to walking past a person that smokes cigarettes. I inhale the smoke and hate it, but I understand that it would take a very long time of this happening before I risk any health issues. Asbestos siding is usually nailed on and can easily be removed one piece at a time just like it was installed. Just pry it off nice and clean.

A lot of the worst cases are also individuals that smoked... and a lot of people did smoke back in the day...

As for automotive I would take my brake shoe cores in to have them relined... did a lot of brakes to make side money when I was going to school... still remember the owner arcing my shoes with the dust flying everywhere while smoking... I asked him about it and he said smoking with asbestos dust is safe because it won't burn... how do you argue with that logic?

 

[NorTracNY]

Age of the person would also come into play. Effects of asbestos exposure is normally about 20years (10-40range). So if your not expecting to life too long, don't worry about it. You will be fine as long as you have the proper equipment.

 

[EddieWalker]

A lot of the worst cases are also individuals that smoked... and a lot of people did smoke back in the day...

A little off tangent here, but where I live, there is a creek about a mile away that runs parallel to the road I live on and empties into a big river. There is a very poor area along that creek that had some of the kids that live there start getting sick. It was just a few at first, but then the lawyers showed up and all of a sudden there was dozens of them, and even people that had just visited there said that they where sick too. I forget what the illness was, but it was environmentally related, or at least the lawsuit claimed it was.

There was a big company that owned about 500 acres upstream from that community that they blamed for contaminating the water. This made the news and it became kind of a circus. More people claiming to be sick and everyone pointing fingers at that business. The odd thing is that the business had not been in operation for a couple of years and the land had just been bought by another corporation that had just had the EPA approve their permits and licensing to start the business back up again.

When it ended, the law firm made a few million and the sick and so called sick ended up with almost nothing. They had to share a settlement amount that didn't amount to very much when everyone got their share. There might of actually been a few sick kids that could have used the money, but from what I've been told, they didn't live very long.

I was able to buy some land from them after all this happened when I moved here. Nobody wanted any of it, and they where getting rid of it for cheap.

I also learned by talking to a lot of people in the area that the real problem was an old leather tannery that used to be in operation a few miles up stream that was a toxic dump, but it has been out of business and closed down for decades. They felt that if there really was a problem, that it came from the chemicals used to tan cow hides back in the 50's until it closed down in the 80's. There is no money suing a non existent company, so the lawyers went after the big money and created a case based on hiring experts that manipulated the data to reflect what they wanted it to.

The person who worked for the company that I bought the land from told me that it was cheaper for them to settle when they did before it went national, and it would have cost them a lot more money. Just a math thing for them to pay a small amount and have it go away then drag it out and risk paying a lot more.

I don't know if this is similar to the asbestos lawsuits, but I do believe it is exactly how the black mold issue came about. When I see law firms on TV asking if you have ever been sick with whatever it is that they are looking for victims to sue over, I think about that too.

And to really wonder off course, a buddy back in CA was part of a big lawsuit against one of the bigger banks there. When it was all said and done, his portion of the settlement was about a thousand dollars. He was excited about this free money, but then found out that they where paying it out quarterly in a very small amount, and that it would take 30 years to receive the full amount. The lawyers where paid their full amount right away.

I'm not saying that asbestos isn't bad for you, but I do believe that lawyers and lawsuits have made it out to sound a lot worse then it really is. Same with lead in paint.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

A little off tangent here, but where I live, there is a creek about a mile away that runs parallel to the road I live on and empties into a big river. There is a very poor area along that creek that had some of the kids that live there start getting sick. It was just a few at first, but then the lawyers showed up and all of a sudden there was dozens of them, and even people that had just visited there said that they where sick too. I forget what the illness was, but it was environmentally related, or at least the lawsuit claimed it was.

There was a big company that owned about 500 acres upstream from that community that they blamed for contaminating the water. This made the news and it became kind of a circus. More people claiming to be sick and everyone pointing fingers at that business. The odd thing is that the business had not been in operation for a couple of years and the land had just been bought by another corporation that had just had the EPA approve their permits and licensing to start the business back up again.

When it ended, the law firm made a few million and the sick and so called sick ended up with almost nothing. They had to share a settlement amount that didn't amount to very much when everyone got their share. There might of actually been a few sick kids that could have used the money, but from what I've been told, they didn't live very long.

I was able to buy some land from them after all this happened when I moved here. Nobody wanted any of it, and they where getting rid of it for cheap.

I also learned by talking to a lot of people in the area that the real problem was an old leather tannery that used to be in operation a few miles up stream that was a toxic dump, but it has been out of business and closed down for decades. They felt that if there really was a problem, that it came from the chemicals used to tan cow hides back in the 50's until it closed down in the 80's. There is no money suing a non existent company, so the lawyers went after the big money and created a case based on hiring experts that manipulated the data to reflect what they wanted it to.

The person who worked for the company that I bought the land from told me that it was cheaper for them to settle when they did before it went national, and it would have cost them a lot more money. Just a math thing for them to pay a small amount and have it go away then drag it out and risk paying a lot more.

I don't know if this is similar to the asbestos lawsuits, but I do believe it is exactly how the black mold issue came about. When I see law firms on TV asking if you have ever been sick with whatever it is that they are looking for victims to sue over, I think about that too.

And to really wonder off course, a buddy back in CA was part of a big lawsuit against one of the bigger banks there. When it was all said and done, his portion of the settlement was about a thousand dollars. He was excited about this free money, but then found out that they where paying it out quarterly in a very small amount, and that it would take 30 years to receive the full amount. The lawyers where paid their full amount right away.

I'm not saying that asbestos isn't bad for you, but I do believe that lawyers and lawsuits have made it out to sound a lot worse then it really is. Same with lead in paint.

Spot on IMHO

 

[herm0016]

agree eddie.


do it your self. i would get rid of the clothes you do it in and wear a good dust mask. i would have a garden sprayer with some water in it near by to wet down any dusty spots.

 

[LouNY]

agree eddie.


do it your self. i would get rid of the clothes you do it in and wear a good dust mask. i would have a garden sprayer with some water in it near by to wet down any dusty spots.

If you are worried about any contaminates getting into your clothes you can get throw away Tyvek type coveralls very cheaply.
Get it done hauled off and over with.
Once it has been suspected of being asbestos, it then can become required to be tested, then required remediation may have to be done.
It is a whole bunch cheaper and easier to properly do it yourself and have the issue gone and done with if you ever sell or rent the property out.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

The stuff can kill you. Remember Steve McQueen? He died from Mesothelioma, probably from his racing days when brakes and clutches were made from asbestos. I urge you to not minimize the danger.

When is Asbestos Dangerous? | Environmental Health and Safety | Oregon State University

 

[tomplum]

The stuff can kill you. Remember Steve McQueen? He died from Mesothelioma, probably from his racing days when brakes and clutches were made from asbestos. I urge you to not minimize the danger.

When is Asbestos Dangerous? | Environmental Health and Safety | Oregon State University

Good article and to the point

 

[Diggin It]

^^ Not by taking off a few shingles over a couple of days outside.

 

[MossRoad]

The stuff can kill you. Remember Steve McQueen? He died from Mesothelioma, probably from his racing days when brakes and clutches were made from asbestos. I urge you to not minimize the danger.

When is Asbestos Dangerous? | Environmental Health and Safety | Oregon State University

Steve McQueen died from cardiac arrest during surgery to remove tumors. He was being treated by a quack doctor for his cancer. The doctor was an orthodontist that had his license revoked 2 years before McQueen died.

McQueen blamed the cancer on asbestos that he was working with heavily while removing it from pipes on a troop ship while he was in the Marines.

Read more about it here.....
Steve McQueen - Wikipedia

 

[MossRoad]

Also, not to make light of it, but to put it in perspective, there are about 325,000,000 people in the U.S.

About 200 cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed every year. That's about 1 in every 1,625,000.

I know, why take a chance? But statistically speaking, you have a very small chance of getting it, especially if you take the common sense advice and don't fragment it up and use proper personal protective equipment, PPE.

 

[turnkey4099]

Also, not to make light of it, but to put it in perspective, there are about 325,000,000 people in the U.S.

About 200 cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed every year. That's about 1 in every 1,625,000.

I know, why take a chance? But statistically speaking, you have a very small chance of getting it, especially if you take the common sense advice and don't fragment it up and use proper personal protective equipment, PPE.

Well said!! Removal of encapsulated asbesous shingle siding is probably less dangerous than spraying weeds with 24D. Still a hazard? Yes, but very mimimal.

 

[Diggin It]

Well said!! Removal of encapsulated asbesous shingle siding is probably less dangerous than ...

... taking a shower or bath.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I will more likely get lung cancer from the smokers that used to be allowed to smoke in the office.

Don't make a mountain out of a no hill.

 

[teejk]

I will more likely get lung cancer from the smokers that used to be allowed to smoke in the office.

Don't make a mountain out of a no hill.

Second hand smoke is another myth. Annoying? Yes. Harmful? No.

 

[MossRoad]

Second hand smoke is another myth. Annoying? Yes. Harmful? No.

You ever been in casinos that allow smoking? YIKES! I'd hate to work in a place like that.