Asbestos is the name for a group of naturally occurring silicate minerals that can be separated into fibers. The fibers are strong, durable, and resistant to heat and fire. They are also long, thin and flexible, so that they can even be woven into cloth. ...
What happens when we breathe? When we take a deep breath, the air goes down the wind-pipe (or trachea) into the middle of the chest. There the trachea divides into two, then four, then eight - ...
Asbestos is the name for a group of naturally occurring silicate minerals that can be separated into fibers. The fibers are strong, durable, and resistant to heat and fire. They are also long, thin and flexible, so that they can even be woven into cloth. Because of these qualities, asbestos has been used in thousands of consumer, industrial, maritime, automotive, scientific and building products. ...
While asbestos dangers are well documented, history has long avoided eliminating the threat it poses to human health. We are starting to progress in our waste habits by recycling different streams of waste and using closed landfills constructively. Composting food waste and recycling plastics, glass, metals, cardboard and newspapers is our way of life. We are ...
Clients and potential clients are often curious about 'what happens' in an asbestos lawsuit. This is a difficult question to answer because every case we handle is unique, and one of the things that makes The Firm distinctive is that we ...
This section discusses the presence of asbestos in houses, rental apartments, schools and other public buildings, and has a list of useful EPA contacts. Does Your House Contain Asbestos? ...
Compliance with new regulations is nearly impossible using only paper-based systems, especially for owners of large numbers of buildings. A critical component of any asbestos management strategy is the effective application of technology – but selection and implementation of systems can mean a large investment of both time and money. The objective of this article is to provide an explanation of ...
Asbestos is the name given to a group of minerals that occur naturally as masses of strong, flexible fibres that can be separated into thin threads and woven. These fibres are not affected by heat and do not conduct electricity. Asbestos is chemically, relatively stable. For these reasons, asbestos has been widely used in many industries. These four types are classified as follows: ...
There are still a wide range of concerns about air quality in the vicinity of Ground Zero. Many commercial and residential spaces have yet to be re-occupied. In only a few cases has any sort of inspection or testing been done to determine if they are safe to occupy. The greatest concerns are asbestos and the very irritating concrete dust that spread throughout lower Manhattan during the collapse ...
This is part 2 of our 4 part series on Gas detection in the Construction Industry. With so many OSHA regulations, where do we begin to search for help with gas detection or respiratory protection within confined spaces? To start, OSHA has a web tool called the OSHA Construction “eTool”. ...
After spending hundreds of millions of tax payers’ money on a high profile ‘clean-up’, it has become clear that the 2012 Olympic Park actually remains classified as a contaminated brownfield site. Documents show that the whole area is to have as little as 2 feet (60cm) of “clean” material placed on top of a warning marker layer of orange plastic fabric sheeting, of a type called Terram 1000, ...
An audit is a systematic and documented investigation to determine if prescribed processes are functioning as intended. We audit to find out whether processes are working properly, where they are not working properly, and how to address identified gaps. No matter how diligent the staff is in following procedures, there are nearly always revelations indicating needed corrections and opportunities ...
In January 2000, Blackwell were appointed as the main contractor for the remediation of an industrial site in Lincolnshire. The site was formerly used in the manufacture of thermal papers, had become contaminated with metalliferous mercy, zinc and asbestos. Site remediation was primarily driven by high ground water vulnerability. Following a comprehensive option study, volume reduction by Soils ...
Errors & omissions (E&O) insurance, also known as professional liability insurance (PLI) and professional indemnity insurance (PII) is a crucial form of coverage for professionals dealing with indoor air quality (IAQ) consulting services. E&O insurance helps to protect IAQ consultants who provide advice and services from the full cost of defending against negligence claims and ...
When Fabricated Plastics Limited of Maple (Toronto), Ontario, Canada was awarded a contract by a world renowned Mining/Metallurgical Company, it proved to be a chance to exhibit their engineering excellence in several ways. First they had to demonstrate that their proposed use of Fibreglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP) was clearly the material of choice in competition with other materials. Then they ...
The Planning Group of the Zero waste International Alliance defines zero waste as: “Zero waste is a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary, to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for other use.” I recently posted this question on ...
The Challenge Spent Potliner (SPL) is generated in the primary production of aluminium and worldwide is estimated to rise at a rate of over 500,000 tonnes per year. The SPL waste contains concentrations of cyanide and fluoride and gives off noxious and flammable gases when in contact with moisture. Unless carefully handled, these contaminants readily "leach" into the surrounding soils and ...
Filter Aids” is a group of inert materials that can be used in filtration pretreatment. There are two objectives related to the addition of filter aids. One is to form a layer of second medium which protects the basic medium of the system. This is commonly referred to as “precoat”. The second objective of filter aids is to improve the flow rate by decreasing cake compressibility ...
If you live in a house, apartment or similar abode, you produce waste. Right? You probably can't go a week without producing waste. All kinds of waste. Call it trash if you want. It's still waste. And if you don't live where recycling is mandatory or there is no outlet for your voluntary environmental tendencies, everything goes into the trash - bottles, cans, cardboard, plastics, bottle caps, ...
This article addresses two aspects of the new environmental insurance policies for lenders (usually referred to as Secured Creditor, or SC, policies): that of the sometimes significant differences among the policies now on the market, and the controversial due diligence issue - whether the policies can be a 'substitute' for environmental due diligence or a Phase I. The four major ...