Frequently asked questions

You cannot tell by looking. Asbestos fibres are microscopic and were mixed into dozens of ordinary building products. The only reliable answer comes from laboratory analysis of a sample. As a rule of thumb, any building in Alberta built or renovated before 1990 should be tested before renovation or demolition work disturbs suspect material.

Alberta’s occupational health and safety legislation requires an employer to identify asbestos-containing material before work that could disturb it. In practice this means an assessment is required before renovation or demolition of buildings likely to contain asbestos. The obligation and the liability sit with the property owner and the contractor, not with the occupant.

The most common in Alberta homes are textured « popcorn » ceilings, vinyl floor tiles and their adhesive, pipe and duct insulation, drywall joint compound, vermiculite attic insulation, and older roofing and siding products. Cement board and some electrical panels also contain it.

Generally no. Asbestos that is intact, sealed and undisturbed does not release fibres and poses little risk. The danger arises when the material is damaged, deteriorating, or cut, sanded, drilled or scraped. That is why removal is recommended before renovation — and why we never advise disturbing suspect material to « check » what it is.

It depends on the scope. Small, well-isolated removals can often proceed with occupants remaining in unaffected parts of the building. Larger abatements, and anything involving friable material or shared ventilation, usually require the area — and sometimes the whole unit — to be vacated. We tell you which applies to your situation before work begins, not on the day.

Not before it has been tested, and not by dry scraping under any circumstances. Dry-scraping a textured ceiling that contains asbestos is the most common way a house becomes fully contaminated: the fibres travel through the return air system and settle in every room, and the clean-up costs several times what controlled removal would have.

Laboratory results typically come back within a few business days. A single room — one textured ceiling, for example — is often a one to two day job once containment is set up. A full basement or a commercial strip-out runs longer. We give you a schedule with the quote, and containment set-up and clearance testing are included in that estimate rather than added afterwards.

A documentation file: the laboratory analysis identifying what was present, the disposal manifests proving the material went to a licensed facility, and — where the scope required it — the clearance air-test results. Keep this file. Buyers, insurers and lenders ask for it, and without it you may be asked to test again.

It depends on the material, the area affected, how friable it is, and how much containment the site requires — which is why any figure quoted before an assessment is guesswork. What we can tell you is that the cost of controlled removal is consistently lower than the cost of decontaminating a building after an uncontrolled one. Our assessment and quote are free.

Yes. For post-disaster work in particular we document the condition on arrival, the materials removed, the drying and treatment carried out, and the final state — in the form insurers expect. Tell us at the outset that a claim is involved so the reporting is set up correctly from day one.

We are based in Edmonton and work throughout Alberta. Travel beyond the Edmonton metropolitan area is quoted with the job, so there are no surprises on the invoice.

Yes, for post-disaster situations — fire, flood, or material exposed by structural damage. After water damage the window before mould develops is roughly 48 hours, so these calls are mobilised immediately rather than scheduled.