GEMCO Engineering and Environmental Inc.

Services

Asbestos Testing

Any material analyzed and found to contain 0.5% or more Asbestos is classified as an Asbestos Containing Material. As described in Ontario Regulation 278/05 “Regulation Respecting Asbestos on Construction Projects and in Buildings and Repair Operations”

Asbestos fibers cannot be seen without a special microscope. GEMCO inspectors ensure that the analysis of asbestos is performed by an accredited testing laboratory. This is the only way to know for certain whether a material contains asbestos.

Government regulatory bodies requires that the asbestos content of suspect materials be determined by analyzing samples with polarized light microscopy (PLM). PLM analysis results give the percent and type of asbestos in the sample. The asbestos content of manufactured items ranges from one percent to 100 percent.

The major forms of asbestos used commercially are chrysotile, amosite and crocidolite. Tremolite, anthophyllite and actinolite are of less commercial value. Asbestos containing materials (ACM) are mixtures of individual asbestos fibers and binding material.

If you suspect that you have asbestos issues contact us at 1-866-624-8668 or info@clearenvironmentalservices.ca to arrange to have a qualified inspector test your home.

How Can Asbestos Affect My Health?

From studies of people who were exposed to asbestos in factories and shipyards, we know that breathing high levels of asbestos fibers can lead to an increased risk of:

lung cancer;
mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the chest and the abdominal cavity; and
asbestosis, in which the lungs become scarred with fibrous tissue.

The risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma increases with the number of fibers inhaled. The risk of lung cancer from inhaling asbestos fibers is also greater if you smoke. People who get asbestosis have usually been exposed to high levels of asbestos for a long time. The symptoms of these diseases do not usually appear until about 20 to 30 years after the first exposure to asbestos.