Managing asbestos identification and abatement is critical – and tricky – which is why clients turn to our experienced professionals for help.
Because there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos and its known relationship to respiratory diseases including asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma, OCCU-TEC’s goal is to reduce or prevent exposure through a holistic approach to building investigations. We utilize our comprehensive approach to testing on every type of facility in a broad range of sectors.
We also help clients navigate the complex state and federal regulatory demands. Our professionals utilize over 150 years of experience and engage with other industry professionals and regulators tools to help keep facility managers abreast of compliance regulations. Our team continually watches industry and regulatory trends, ensuring compliance whether you’re managing one building locally or hundreds across the country. We’ve proven that early engagement limits accidental exposures, reduces your risk, prevents unnecessary work stoppages, and protects you from unforeseen costs.
We have decades of experience providing these services:
- Testing
- Third-party air monitoring
- Inspections/Surveys
- Project management
- Contract specifications
- Abatement project design
- Abatement contractor oversight
If you need help performing an inspection for an upcoming demolition or renovation, managing your known asbestos materials, determining contamination or exposure levels, or need assistance with abatement, reach out to our experienced team. We pride ourselves in our common-sense approach to solving complex environmental challenges.
Is Asbestos Still In Materials Today?
Yes. However, on March 18, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that a ban has been implemented on the use of chrysotile asbestos, which is the most common form of asbestos used or imported into the U.S. This monumental step brings us closer to being able to say “no,” and finish the efforts to ban asbestos in the U.S., which started over 30 years ago.
Asbestos, a known carcinogen with serious health implications, and specifically chrysotile asbestos, can be found in products including asbestos diaphragms, gaskets, brake blocks, aftermarket automotive brakes and linings, flooring materials, roofing materials, drywall and joint compounds, ceiling tiles, mastics and adhesive, and many more.
Raw chrysotile asbestos was still being imported into the U.S. as recently as 2022, primarily used by the chlor-alkali industry. The EPA’s ban on the import of this asbestos for chlor-alkali use impacts eight facilities in the U.S., which produce chlorine and sodium hydroxide using asbestos diaphragms, that must over the next five years transition to new technology to produce their products.
While the new ruling targets the chlor-alkali industry, the ruling also bans the use of sheet gaskets, oilfield brake blocks, aftermarket automotive brakes and linings, other vehicle friction products and gaskets.