Asbestos Removal:

[Clarence Martinn]

Say you have suspected Asbestos on old Cast Iron Boiler water pipes. You want it removed.

Instead of going through the hoops of getting Asbestos abatment company in to remove it, and their high cost; couldn't you just cut the pipe a few inches back and ahead of the Asbestos covered section of pipe ? Just wrap the section with plastic , and seal it good; then cut it out.

What am I missing ???

[Bill Dufour]

problem is disposal and probably have to have inspector verify no asbestos. Depending on age of structure inspector will know asbestos was installed at some time. Depends on local regulations. what country?
Bil lD

[Rich Engelhardt]

What am I missing ???The wonderful fun filled thrill a minute chance to be tied to a 25 foot oxygen hose for the remainder of your natural life! Couple that with the $4,500. you get to spend - - out of your own pocket since medicare & the insurance companies consider a portable oxygen concentrator a luxury item<--Just think, you can point at it and tell your friends you get to wear that new Saw Stop hanging around your neck every time you go out!
Plus - you can have the thrill of paying $495 for a rechargeable battery for it (pretty much the same 12 volt LiIon battery you pay $89 for a two pack for a cordless drill).
Plus - you get the huge enriching (for the Pharm cutthroats) experience of paying $300 to $1200 each and every month for your inhalers!
Those aren't anywhere near as captivating as the Nebulizer & those neat little vials that you get to suck down - every for to six hours - every day - for the rest of your life.

Speaking of life!!!! Let me tell you about all the fun that can be!!

That medication stuff - you know, the stuff you have to take just so you don't suffocate - it's bad for your eyes. Yep. Might as well figure now on picking up that visor magnifying lenses you can wear while doing anything at all that's considered fine work, like tying on a fishing lure...

Catch my drift here? I blew off the effects of old asbestos & sanded down some old construction adhesive w/out any protection. At the end of the day, I started to cough. The cough never went away & from that day on, my stamina started to drop off.

Oops...I forgot to mention....the EPA is death on things like asbestos & lead. So are several states. It may be a felony or even multiple felonies to do it yourself w/out the right precautions. I'm not 100% sure about how rough it is on an individual right now, but, I do believe as more and more businesses fall into compliance, the EPA will go after smaller and smaller fish. Same for state and local enforcement.


Bottom line here is...please reconsider this. It's not a DIY type of thing.
I take full responsibility for my own stupidity,,,but,,that doesn't mean I like the way I have to live now.
Be a smarter person than me, ok?

[Mike Kreinhop]

There are a few things I've encountered that I simply refuse to resolve on my own and will continue to call in the professionals. These include active unexploded ordnance and friable asbestos. Both can kill, but one can take longer than the other and will likely hurt more.

Many years ago, two of my friends owned a salvage yard in North Carolina. The brothers made good living by removing recyclable metal, wiring, and fixtures from buildings that were scheduled for demolition. Both died of mesothelioma, presumed to be a direct result of removing asbestos insulated steam pipes from a commercial plant. They knew friable asbestos was in the facility, but didn't want to contract for proper removal or abatement and apparently didn't appreciate the risk. It took years for the symptoms to appear, but both were dead within a year of diagnosis.

The scale of their exposure was certainly larger than what you describe, but why take the chance?

[Matt Day]

Good advice Rich -sorry to hear about what happened though.

As soon as you cut the stuff it’s friable and could be inhaled.

[Lee Schierer]

It is likely that it is illegal for you to do it yourself. Most likely large fines. You can't send it to a landfill.

[Bill Dufour]

There was a proposal in California about 20 years ago to turn a old open pit gold mine into a asbestos disposal landfill. It would have been sealed and monitored so no asbestos would escape. It was turned down as too dangerous. So the site, like most gold mines in California, has serpentine with veins of asbestos which is weathering away and blowing off into the air. That county also has high asbestos levels near any paved roads because the aggragate they use has asbestos in it.
Bill D.

PS: Serpentine is the state rock of California so I guess asbestos is too.