What is asbestos?
Asbestos, from the Greek amiantos, which means “incorruptible” is a natural mineral with a microcrystalline structure and fibrous shape of the series of amphiboles and serpentine.
Asbestos is virtually indestructible: it resists fire and heat, chemical and biological agents, abrasion and wear. It is particularly flexible, so much so that it is yarn or fabric. It is characterised by sound-absorbing capabilities and is a good electrical insulator.
Its characteristics have made it particularly suitable as a material for fireproof garments as well as widely used in the construction sector.
Outlawed in Italy since the early 1990s, today it can still be found in artefacts such as tanks, flues, pipes, rails, roof and garage coverings and old boilers.
Because asbestos is dangerous to health
It has been established that asbestos fibres if inhaled, can cause serious diseases such as pleural mesothelioma, lung, larynx, ovary, stomach and pharynx tumours.
The latency period for the onset of diseases, in particular mesothelioma, is about 20-40 years and the most dangerous materials are those containing friable asbestos that can reach 100% of the presence of fibres.
Intervention techniques for remediation
There are three intervention techniques for materials containing asbestos, namely:
- Confinement
- Encapsulation
- Removal
What we offer:
- Thorough inspections
- Remediation of artifacts containing asbestos
- Replacement of asbestos products with new compliant elements
- Remediation of contaminated sites
- Sampling services for air monitoring
- Release of the copy of the documentation sent to the proposed bodies
- Transportation and sending for disposal
- Issuing a copy of the form certifying that the waste has been disposed of in an authorized facility
Asbestos remediation: how to remove it
The remediation activity, which is particularly delicate given the risks associated with people’s health, involves our highly specialised and legally trained staff. After a scrupulous and free inspection carried out by our technical staff, specialised and adequately trained and informed per Legislative Decree 81/08, as well as for the removal, disposal and reclamation of products containing asbestos, we take care of all the phases relating to the reclamation of both products containing asbestos and sites contaminated thereby. In collaboration with the best professionals in the sector, we also guarantee our customers sampling services for subsequent characterisation and air surveillance and monitoring to ascertain the presence of asbestos fibres.
In addition, thanks to the use of our own equipment or possibly rented by leading companies in the sector, as in the case of scaffolding, we proceed to remove asbestos at any height and in places that are difficult to access. We are also registered in the National Register of Environmental Managers for category 10 B, which regulates the reclamation of goods containing crumbly asbestos or unbound in cement or resinoid matrices.
Regulatory requirements for asbestos remediation
Depending on the situations that may arise, we have to follow two types of obligations:
- Works subject to notification pursuant to art. 250 of Legislative Decree 81/08
- Works subject to the work plan pursuant to art. 256 of Legislative Decree 81/08
For the first type of work, the notification shall be sent to the S.Pre.S.a.l. of the local Public Health Authority before the start and in any case at least 48 before the execution of the removal activities.
For the second type of work, instead, a work plan must be prepared and sent to the S.Pre.S.a.l. of the local Public Health Authority that contains the necessary measures to guarantee the safety and health of workers in the workplace and the protection of the external environment.
All the necessary regulatory obligations, as well as the measures for the removal of ethernit, shall be borne by our Company and included in the technical/economic proposal provided to the customer.
