Asbestos sits quietly in thousands of older Winnipeg homes and buildings. Left alone and in good shape, it is usually not a problem. The danger starts the moment someone disturbs it during a repair, a renovation, or a demolition.
Mold Removal Winnipeg only sends IICRC certified technicians to an asbestos job. We seal the work area behind containment, then remove the material or encapsulate it in place. You get a written completion report when the work is finished.
Call (204) 789-1514 any hour of the day. We answer 24/7, we work with your insurance provider, and we also handle mold removal, water damage restoration, and fire and smoke damage for homes and businesses across Winnipeg.
Asbestos is a natural mineral made of thin, strong fibres. It resists heat, fire, and most chemicals. Builders used it for insulation, fireproofing, and strength in homes and commercial buildings for most of the last century.
A building material can be 1% asbestos or 100% asbestos, and you cannot tell by looking at it. Six types are regulated. Chrysotile belongs to the serpentine family. Crocidolite, amosite, anthophyllite, tremolite, and actinolite belong to the amphibole family.
Use dropped off once doctors noticed lung cancer rising among the workers who handled it. Safer materials such as fibreglass took over. Asbestos is now banned in most countries, but it is still sitting inside the buildings that were already standing.
A single asbestos fibre is far too small to see. It has no smell and no taste. When fibres are released they hang in the air, and you breathe them in without knowing anything happened.
Once inside the body, those fibres lodge in lung tissue and stay there. Over years they scar the lungs. That is how asbestosis, mesothelioma, and other long term illnesses begin. Symptoms often take decades to appear, so people rarely connect the illness to the job or the renovation that caused it.
The risk comes from disturbing the material. Cutting, drilling, sanding, or tearing out old tile and insulation sends fibres into the air. So does a flood or a fire that rips up ceilings and walls. Exposure is highest during demolition, but small amounts over many years add up too.
If your building went up before 1980, there is a good chance asbestos is in it somewhere. You cannot tell by looking, and neither can anyone else. The material has to be checked by a laboratory before anyone cuts into it.
Asbestos that is sealed, in good shape, and out of the way is usually not a danger. The risk starts when the material is broken, worn, or disturbed and fibres get into the air. Material that is crumbling, or that sits somewhere it gets bumped or renovated, needs to be dealt with. If you are not sure what shape it is in, keep everyone out of the room and call (204) 789-1514.
Cutting, drilling, sanding, scraping, or tearing out old material is the most common cause. Flood and fire damage do it too, because both tear up ceilings, walls, and flooring. Even sweeping or vacuuming dust from damaged asbestos material spreads fibres around the room.
No. A household vacuum and a dust mask do not stop asbestos fibres, and a do it yourself job usually spreads them through the rest of the building. The fibres are far too small to see, so you would have no way of knowing you made it worse. Safe removal takes sealed containment, negative air pressure, HEPA equipment, and an approved disposal site.
No. Some material is safer left in place and sealed, which is called encapsulation or enclosure. That works when the material is in good shape and nobody is going to disturb it. If it is damaged, or it sits where you plan to renovate, removal is the better choice. We go over both options and put them in writing before any work starts.
The work area is sealed behind plastic containment before anything is touched. We shut down the HVAC system, seal the ducts, and set up negative air pressure so air flows into the work zone instead of out of it. Crews use hand tools and wet methods to hold the dust down, then HEPA vacuum and wipe every surface before the barriers come down.
Move belongings out of the room if you can do it without touching the suspect material. Leave the asbestos itself alone. Plan for children and pets to be somewhere else while the work is underway, and tell us where your furnace and air returns are so we can shut the system down properly.
It depends on where the asbestos is and how much of it has to come out. Smaller jobs can often be sealed off while you stay in another part of the building. Work in a hallway, a stairwell, or a mechanical room that everyone passes through is safer with the space empty. We tell you which one it is before we start.
Every piece is kept wet, double bagged, sealed, and labelled before it leaves the work area. It goes to a disposal site that is approved to take asbestos. It never goes in your bin or to a regular landfill, and the crew cleans tools, gear, and clothing before leaving the site.
It depends on how much material there is, where it sits, and whether it is being removed or sealed in place. Setting up containment and cleaning up afterwards take time on every job, even a small one. Call (204) 789-1514 and we will walk the space with you and give you a schedule along with the quote.
The price depends on the amount of material, how hard it is to reach, and whether the job is removal or encapsulation. Disposal fees are part of it as well. You get a written quote before any work begins, so there are no surprises later. Call (204) 789-1514 for an estimate.
That depends on your policy. Coverage is more likely when the asbestos was disturbed by something the policy already covers, such as a flood or a fire. Asbestos that has simply been in the building since it was built is usually paid for by the owner. Ask your provider, and we will supply the photos, the scope of work, and the completion report for the claim.