Asbestos was regularly used as a building material through the 1970s. It wasn’t until years later people began realizing how deadly it truly was. On their own, materials made with asbestos don’t necessarily cause adverse effects, but once a building experiences natural wear and tear, the fibers in asbestos float through the air and can be inhaled.
According to Oregon State Environmental Health and Safety, prolonged exposure to asbestos can lead to mesothelioma, lung cancer and/or asbestosis, “a serious, chronic, non-cancerous respiratory disease.”
As a facilities manager, you need to ensure that all buildings in your care are free of asbestos. If you’re concerned, call in the best. These 17 Michigan businesses can detox the space to make sure it’s safe for all occupants.
Pro-Tech Environmental
Serving Ohio and Michigan, Pro-Tech Environmental offers services including lead abatement, media blasting and demolition, mold remediation and asbestos abatement. They’ll check all parts of a building, from coverings to spray-on fireproofing and insulation. If they find any asbestos, they’ll safely dispose of it, using vacuum extraction, mastic removal or taking out the offending floor or ceiling tiles.
Insulation Environmental Services
Since 1979, Insulation Environmental Services has sought to inform Grand Rapids residents and businesses about the dangers of asbestos. They can clear asbestos from almost any surface, even tricky spots like ceiling tiles, sprayed-on fireproofing and HVAC ducting. They are trained on many removal methods and will use the right equipment for the job.
Advanced Abatement Services
Did you know that if your building is insulated with vermiculite, it could have asbestos? Advanced Abatement Services does. “Vermiculite is a type of insulation that is lightweight and resembles gravel or kitty litter,” the company explains. “Its particles often have a black, brown, gray, and/or white color, and can appear shiny.” If you see any of this in your building, you know who to call, stat.
UDECON
UDECON, or Universal Decontamination Services, deals with all things dirty, from water purification and smoke damage to asbestos removal. An on-site inspection will determine the level of damage and what equipment is required. Then, without touching the fibers themselves, the licensed technicians will either contain the asbestos, or use vacuum extraction or some other means of removal.
EKS Services
Once known as EKS Environmental Consulting & General Contracting, the company was renamed when Jim Cesarz joined forces with Clarence Carpenter III. EKS Services still deals with environmental issues, but the business has expanded and now also tests for asbestos, creates asbestos management plans, does building inspections and offers employee awareness training.
Peak Environmental
Once focusing exclusively on radon removal, Peak Environmental has expanded its services to include asbestos removal, too. They’ll check ceiling tiles, roof shingles and flashings, HVAC units, vermiculite and piping for any traces of asbestos. That said, while they will detox a building, they often partner with another nearby testing company for more thorough work.
Advanced Air Quality
Not only does Advanced Air Quality remove asbestos, but it also offer unique services like cleaning up racoon feces and ridding a building of bat guanos. “We’ve encountered and resolved some of the most complex challenges there are in the asbestos management field,” the AAQ team writes. “We’re accustomed to working under demanding conditions and meeting our deadlines without compromising the safety of our customers or our team of professionals.”
Bincor Environmental Services
According to the team at Bincor Environmental Services, “it is estimated that over 30 million tons of asbestos have been used over the last century in the United States alone.” Even if an FM doesn’t think their building contains asbestos, it never hurts to get it checked. Bincor’s team will put all contaminated materials in leak-tight containers for safety.
AMC Environmental
Married couple Mindi and Aaron Croff are the founders of AMC Environmental. As commercial asbestos testers and removers, they note “no job is too big or small,” so FMs shouldn’t hesitate to call. They’ll clear asbestos from roofing, duct wraps and pipe wraps and even popcorn ceilings. Those who need testing for asbestos won’t have to wait long, as turnaround is generally 24 hours.
PROBE Environmental
When getting rid of asbestos in a building, no one can afford to take any chances. PROBE Environmental is serious about the process. Once they clear a building of asbestos, they will do an environmental air test at the site. Before they leave, they double-check their work with an asbestos post-project final air clearance certification that lets FMs know the building is clear.
ALAM
As hazmat experts and mercury removers, ALAM has a good reputation for removing dangerous substances. They know where to look for asbestos, even the unexpected places and materials an FM may not have thought of, like terrazzo, stucco and plaster. ALAM’s licensed contractors will do walkthroughs, test for asbestos and then create a removal plan.
Clean Cut Abatement
As asbestos experts, Clean Cut Abatement deals in just this deadly substance. They want to help with all parts of removal, including contacting insurance companies with regard to claims and reimbursement. Once the removal is complete, Clean Cut ends with an air sampling test.
Environmental Maintenance Engineers
Michael Kelly, the founder of EME, and his team provide a number of services including lead-based paint abatement and mold remediation. When it comes to clearing a building of asbestos, EME can remove it pre-demolition or renovation, examining floor tiles and mastic, pipe and boiler insulation, window caulk and more.
Asbestos Abatement
This company’s name describes its business: Asbestos Abatement. That said, they know when to remove asbestos and when it’s best to leave it be. If asbestos particles are left undisturbed, they generally pose no health risks. Therefore, once this company gets a positive test for asbestos, they will visit the facility to determine how to proceed.
Complete Environmental Solutions
Dwain Vinyard, the leader of Complete Environmental Solutions, may have opened his company in 2004, but his experience goes back decades. He’s worked in the field of toxic substance testing and removal for nearly 40 years. He and his team are especially adept at taking out contaminated floor tiles so the asbestos doesn’t spread.
Certified Abatement Services
For nearly 20 years, Certified Abatement Services has helped commercial companies throughout the state by removing lead, mold and asbestos from their buildings. FMs can call if they think they may have an asbestos problem and the team will take it from there, testing the building. They follow all EPA testing regulations, including using polarized light microscopy and testing in bulk.
Martin & Associates Environmental
From brownfield sites to historical buildings, apartments, government facilities, hospitals and schools, Martin & Associates Environmental covers them all. Their commercial and industrial asbestos services will remove contaminated industrial boilers, gravity furnaces and even ceilings, piping and flooring. However, they don’t do asbestos tests, only removal.
Credits:
skeezeBrigitte Tohm
Alan Weiner
Jesse Orrico
