What is Point Counting Asbestos Testing Toronto?
Posted in Asbestos Removal, on February 01, 2022
Canadian legislation has determined that any materials that contain an asbestos concentration of 1% or more must undergo asbestos removal in Toronto. Even if our professional asbestos testing in Toronto services at Canada’s Restoration Services find that a material on your property contains an asbestos concentration of 10% or less, we are still required to conduct a more detailed analysis to accurately determine the percentage of the mineral.
Friable asbestos-containing materials – such as textured paints or spray on insulation – can have a concentration that is 1% or higher, but can still be just very harmful depending on what form of asbestos is incorporated. Friable asbestos is easily susceptible to going airborne when disturbed – inhaling the mineral can lead to a number of severe health conditions, with malignant mesothelioma cancer being one of the most common illnesses linked to exposure.
When dealing with a sample of an asbestos-containing material with a concentration of 10% or less, the point counting testing comes into play. But what exactly is it?
What Is Point Counting Asbestos Testing?
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At Canada’s Restoration Services, if our asbestos testing in Toronto finds that a sample of a material on your property has an asbestos concentration of 10% or less, we presume that the sample has a concentration that is at least 1% or higher, and therefore must be treated as a hazard.
The purpose of the point counting test is to find out if the material has an asbestos percentage of 1% or less, as any material that is 1% or below is considered by law as non-containing asbestos. However, it is still recommended you undergo asbestos removal in Toronto, as some forms of asbestos are more hazardous than others despite minimal exposure.
Point counting testing is generally conducted on bulk samples such as ceiling or wall textures, drywall-joint compound, hard plaster, pipe insulation and more. However, it is difficult to conduct the test on non-friable materials such as roofing materials or floor tiles, due to its delicate nature.
Hazard Levels Of Asbestos
Canada’s Restoration Services still highly recommends that you go forward with asbestos removal in Toronto, no matter if the material contains more or less than 1%. The reason is that there are forms of asbestos that are more hazardous than others when exposed to them. Minimal exposure to amphibole asbestos is far more harmful compared to exposure to serpentine asbestos. The two commercially valuable forms of amphibole asbestos are crocidolite (blue asbestos) and amosite (brown asbestos). Brown asbestos can be found in property materials such as pipe insulations, cement sheets, ceiling tiles and insulating boards. Blue asbestos can be found in pipe insulation, spray-on coatings and cement products.
Several – if not all – of the above materials can be easily disturbed, quickly go airborne and increase the risk of inhlatation.
Asbestos Detection and Removal Toronto
At Canada’s Restoration Services, our asbestos testing service includes a thorough inspection of your property, where we take samples of any materials that may potentially contain asbestos. Those samples are then provided to a third-party lab for testing. If asbestos is confirmed and its threat level determined, we move towards comprehensive full scale removal of the material. That involves using full containment gear and equipment to prevent any cross-contamination from occurring.
