I did a house today and discovered vermiculite insulation burried (hidden) below a fresh layer of celulose. I suggested the client have the vermiculite tested for asbestos before purchase, and warned of the cost for removal. Just for my own information can anyone answer the following:
How long does it usually take to get the vermiculite tested?
How much does it cost to get it tested?
If there is asbestos how much does it cost to get vermiculite removed?
Who takes the sample and how much needs to be collected?
If there is anyone who can share their experience with this it would be greatly appreciated.
A 1981 Royal Commission concluded that “…it is rarely necessary to take corrective action in buildings containing asbestos insulation in order to protect the general occupants of those buildings”
" the risk to occupants from asbestos in buildings is a small fraction of the risks faced by workers exposed to asbestos under the 1 f/cc control limit for chrsotile ( the exposure limit for industrial asbestos in Ontario at the time) It is less than 1/50 as great as the risk of commuting by car to and from those buildings. In concluding that this risk is insignificant, we conclude that the risk does not present a public health problem."
This information is from a Pinchin Environmental Ltd. report that I have on Hazards and Control of Asbestos in Buildings 2004.