Homeowners, potential homebuyers, and renters, if you plan on renovating or demolishing a home in Oregon you need to think about asbestos – a natural mineral that might be in your building materials.
DEQ’s Hillarie Sales and Dylan Darling help make asbestos regulations relatable by talking with two inspectors from DEQ, and an Oregon Health Authority toxicologist explains why asbestos is a health concern in the first place.
“If you are planning on doing any renovation work then the concerns, they’re there,” said DEQ Asbestos Inspector Akim Williams. “You have to have testing done. You have to an abatement contractor remove that material in a safe manner.”
There is no known safe level of exposure to asbestos. This makes asbestos a serious health concern and subject to regulation by DEQ.
“The reason it’s a problem is because it’s a persistent mineral and because it is in the shape of a thin fiber,” said David Farrer, an Oregon Health Authority toxicologist. “In certain forms it can be like a very fine, invisible even, particle that you inhale. And because it is a long fiber and it doesn’t dissolve it gets stuck in your lungs and then your lungs can’t get rid of it.”
Listen to the podcast on: SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
SHOW NOTES
- Introduction
- Oregon Health Authority Toxicologist David Farrer interview [3:05]
- DEQ asbestos inspectors, Akim Williams and David Russell, interview [8:25]
- DEQ’s list of materials that may contain asbestos [13:45]
- DEQ’s list of licensed asbestos abatement contractors [17:20]
- AHERA (Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act) certification [18:10]
- Friable asbestos definition and other info homeowners need to know about asbestos before starting renovation or demolition [20:20]
- Wrap-up [24:15]
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