Asbestos Survey

Asbestos is mined from the earth’s crust and is used for a variety of purposes. It is found in more than three thousand products available in the market. It is impossible to identify even when it is used in the products, common man has to believe the manufacturer and the information they give. The conventional way to identify asbestos is using polar light microscopy (PLM). Asbestos poses many risks for the individuals in contact with it. The common diseases caused by asbestos are cancer (especially lung cancer), asbestosis, and mysothelioma.

There are mainly three types of asbestos survey methods to determine the presence of asbestos in the surroundings and the materials. The asbestos survey types are named as type 1, type 2 and type 3. The type-I asbestos survey is also called the presumptive survey and is done by assessing the location and determining the presence of ACM’s and the potential risks. Type-2 asbestos survey is better known as the sampling survey and the representative samples are analyzed for the presence of asbestos. Type-3 asbestos survey or the major-refurbishment survey is the process by which the samples from all the materials of the site are analyzed for the presence of asbestos. It is required that the results of the survey be given to all the concerned people, the survey must be presented in an un-complicated manner and must give the details of the type of survey and the areas it has covered.

People are advised to remove all the asbestos materials from their vicinity so that they live in an asbestos free area. Before the removal asbestos must be saturated with water so that the particles are not let free. The people living in or near the places where the removal is planned must be evacuated first otherwise it may pose serious health risks to the people dwelling there. The removed asbestos must be packed in two heavy duty polyethylene bags.