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News & Events
EACO believes in members supporting members. EACO functions are a great place to network with others involved in the environmental abatement industry. These functions also provide direction for EACO and the Board of Directors. Members can also become involved in various EACO sub-committees such as Membership and Marketing, Mould, Health and Safety.
Construction professionals must take safety precautions when working with hazardous materials, and asbestos, with its numerous health risks, should be at the top of the list. "It's quite deadly," says Dr. Kapil Khatter, president of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. "It gets in your lungs, hangs around and can (eventually) create inflammation, lung cancer, mesothelioma, etc." How
it's dangerous "Because it is a valuable reinforcing, insulating and fire-proofing material, asbestos was used widely in construction materials such as insulation board, asbestos cement, drywall joint cement, spackling, and floor and ceiling tiles," she says. According to Legault, health risk caused by asbestos exposure depends on the following factors: •The
concentration of asbestos fibers in the air Legault stresses that asbestos only poses health risks when fibers are present in the air we breathe, and products do not release significant amounts of fiber unless they are cut or damaged. If the asbestos fibers are enclosed or tightly bound in a compound, there is not a significant health risk. Unfortunately, one of the major problems is that until the 1970s, sprayed or friable (easily broken up) asbestos was used in buildings. Because of this history, Legault recommends that people working in construction, maintenance and renovation of older buildings should be especially careful when handling asbestos. Tips
For Dealing with Asbestos Learn your province's specific procedures for handling asbestos: Contractors should always follow all regulations and requirements established by their respective occupational health and safety authorities, as it is a legal responsibility for contractors and a personal safety issue for workers, Legault says. Fulford says most procedures are very similar, but some provinces require special training to deal with asbestos. He says searching the keyword "asbestos" on your provincial government's website should easily lead you to the correct information. Be proactive about your health: Dr. Khatter says that unfortunately, illness caused by asbestos exposure usually doesn't show any symptoms until there's a serious problem. He recommends getting regular lung X-rays sometimes as much as once a year to monitor your health and catch any illness at its earliest stage. Your regular physician might suffice, but a respirologist or someone who does occupational medicine might be better versed in the risks of asbestos exposure. Look into the help of occupational clinics, he suggests, because they're independent of companies as they don't have to worry about liability. For example, those living in Ontario can find a clinic nearest them by visiting the website of Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers, Inc. For
Additional Research EACO Newsletter
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2005
Environmental Abatement Council of Ontario DISCLAIMER:
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