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Before starting a renovation project,
have a Hazardous Materials Assessment conducted
to identify building materials…

Epoch Environmental Consulting is staffed by Qualified Professionals registered and
in good standing with WorkSafeBC since 1994.
Having over 25 years of work experience in the industry,
Epoch has a proven track record of providing sound, innovative solutions
that balance the requirements of compliance, risk management and fiscally responsible project management.

Are you planning to renovate or demolish a house built before 1990?

If so, your house most likely contains asbestos and lead – both are highly dangerous and toxic materials. Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous material that was a popular building material from the 1950s to 1990s. It was used extensively because it is an insulator, has good fire protection properties, has tensile strength, and is resistant to chemical erosion. Unfortunately, it’s hard to know if you’re working with asbestos because it is often mixed with other materials. However, if you work in a building built before 1990, it’s likely that at least some parts of the building will contain asbestos. Breathing in asbestos fibres can cause serious health problems, lung diseases, and cancer.

Lead is a highly toxic material that can cause severe neurological disorders, and is especially dangerous in women and young children. According to WorkSafeBC there is no safe level of lead exposure. Lead is used as a pigment in paints, coatings and glazes. If your house was built between 1960 to 1980, the interior or exterior paint may contain small amounts of lead. Besides paint, many types of ceramic tiles used in residential and commercial buildings from 2000 and newer imported from overseas and manufactured in foreign countries contain high concentrations of lead in their glaze. Sanding, scraping or heating lead based paints can produce large amount of lead containing dust and fumes.

So before work starts, consult a Qualified Professional to identify any asbestos and lead in your home and have it properly removed, for the health and safety of everyone working on your project.

Contact Epoch Environmental Consulting to schedule an inspection of your home
to determine where asbestos-containing materials are before you begin your renovations.
Following that, hire a certified and qualified abatement company to safely remove and dispose
all hazardous materials properly according to WorkSafeBC regulations.

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The following interactive diagram outlines some of the
potential sources of asbestos in a pre-1990s home.
Asbestos can be found in more than 3,000 building materials.
Source: WorkSafeBC

https://www.epochenvironmental.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Asbestor-in-the-home.jpg

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