Asbestos Inspection in Hamilton

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If you live in a house built before 1985, you might want to book an asbestos inspection in Hamilton. Commonly used as a building material across the province, asbestos can be found in insulation, flooring, and around boilers, ducts, and pipes. It was only in the late 1980s that people began to realize the dangers of asbestos dust and its role in causing a unique lung cancer called, mesothelioma.

At InchbyInch Inspections, we specialize in ensuring safe and healthy indoor air quality and can help you determine before or during your home renovation or pre-purchase inspection if there are significant dangers related to asbestos and other harmful indoor pollutants.

Asbestos becomes dangerous whenever it’s disturbed or damaged - the fine particles of dust it creates is where the problem lies. Before performing any renovation, big or small, having an asbestos inspection in Hamilton can give you not only peace of mind, but help prevent future health trouble for you and your whole family.

Where Do You Find Asbestos? 

Asbestos Inspection in Hamilton | Inch By Inch InspectionsAsbestos was so widely used by the Canadian construction industry that it can be found in nearly every room of your home. Luckily, asbestos is usually fairly easy to spot, especially in homes or businesses without significant modern renovations. At InchbyInch, we often find evidence of past asbestos or asbestos products in use in:

  • Basements, attics, and cold cellars
  • Beneath floor tiles and hardwood slats
  • Inside ductwork and insulating pipe wraps
  • In roof shingling and siding
  • Behind drywall and finishing surfaces
  • Above drop ceilings, in ceiling tiles, and in popcorn-style ceilings

If asbestos is found in these parts of your home, it greatly reduces the indoor air quality of your whole building and is likely to cause you or your family health trouble down the road. If you suspect that asbestos is used in your home, it’s best to have a professional asbestos inspection in Hamilton to inspect the material before you begin any sort of demolition. Safety is our highest priority at InchbyInch because we know it’s yours as well.

The Health Risks of Undetected Asbestos

Asbestos was so popular in part because it was both heat and fire resistant - in the 70s they even tested clothing made out of it for use by firefighters! Much more is now known about the ‘miracle mineral’ today than 40 years ago however, and we now have a growing body of evidence that suggests undetected asbestos in your home can cause:

  • Longterm damage to the lungs: Asbestos is made up of long fibres that cannot be seen by the naked eye. This makes them particularly susceptible to becoming lodged in the lungs and other bodily tissues, where they cause irritation and inflammation. In particular, asbestos settles in your alveoli (tiny air sacs at the end of the breathing passages in your lungs). Long term asbestos exposure, scars and damages the alveoli and causes them to stiffen, which in turn makes it difficult for you to breathe. This is commonly referred to as asbestosis.
  • Mesothelioma: This type of cancer develops in the thin layer of tissue that covers internal organs such as your lungs and heart. Like asbestosis, common symptoms include shortness of breath, tiredness, and chest pain. More than 80% of mesothelioma cases are caused by exposure to asbestos, and while it can take as many as 40 years to develop, long term survival rates are very poor.
  • Lung and heart diseases: Exposure to asbestos puts your lungs, heart, and abdominal cavity at risk for other diseases, and can cause severe complications in underlying conditions as well, such as asthma.

About Asbestos Assessment - The Next Steps

Testing for asbestos in your home is not a DIY project - its extreme toxicity and danger to our lungs is the reason that there’s no kits available at your local hardware store. When you book an asbestos inspection in Hamilton with InchbyInch, you can be certain that our teams arrive with years of on the job experience and specialized health and safety training to protect you.

Every asbestos inspection in Hamilton begins with a visual inspection to determine what areas may require testing or have confirmed asbestos contamination; we then may use specialized tools and equipment to further investigate and take samples of material or dust around the home. All of our samples are tested by a third party facility that chemically determines the presence (or absence) of asbestos particles. Any results we receive are always shared with you in easy to understand language, and if asbestos is found, we’ll draw up plans and solutions for a safe and thorough asbestos abatement.

Is Asbestos Still in Use Today?

If you live in a modern home, you’re in luck - asbestos was banned for use in most Canadian products in the mid 90s, and very few Canadians are still exposed to it thanks to the federal government’s Hazardous Products Act. But there are still a number of products (such as brake pad linings and some roofing shingles) that still contain asbestos, and it is still mined here in Canada and then exported to other countries where it continues to negatively affect the health of millions of people.

What Happens During a Thorough Asbestos Abatement

After asbestos is detected in your home, our first priority is the health and safety of you and our teams. InchbyInch teams work under the strictest, most up to date safety procedures in the industry, and work to protect you and your home throughout the removal process. All of our asbestos removal teams work according to the guidelines set out by organizations such as the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC), and the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQC), two of the third party organizations that certify and provide ongoing training for our technicians.

A typical asbestos removal begins by identifying and marking all locations with asbestos-contaminated materials inside your home. The workspace is then thoroughly contained to prevent any dust or debris from spreading to other areas of your home. Special tools and air filtration devices are used to help collect and filter airborne particles. All asbestos contaminated materials are safely removed and disposed of according to provincial and municipal regulations. In addition, the site is thoroughly cleaned and tested before we leave.

About InchbyInch Inspections

The breakdown and contamination of homes by asbestos particles is a serious problem in homes across the Hamilton Wentworth district, and must be addressed immediately by homeowners. Choosing InchbyInch Inspections for your asbestos inspection in Hamilton ensures that our highly trained specialists will inspect every inch of your home for potential asbestos or indoor air quality problems. Beyond the IICRC and ISIAQC, we also train with InterNACHI, the world’s biggest and best professional association of home and commercial property inspectors, ensuring you access to the most current knowledge of asbestos removal research and methodologies.

InchbyInch services locations across the GTA, including Hamilton, Burlington, and Oakville, and has professional, friendly teams that are happy to give you a detailed breakdown of what to expect at every stage of your inspection or removal. Give us a call today for more information about asbestos inspection in Hamilton!

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What Our Clients Say About Us

Hiring a construction contractor to renovate my house for the first time, I was not familiar with any of the DSS-related requirements.  So, it was quite reassuring to find someone like Tony who is trustworthy and knowledgeable. I also needed a quick turnaround for the completed DSS report and Tony delivered (on time, as promised).  In short, Tony was great to deal with. I would recommend him to anyone, anytime.   

Richard, Toronto

Tony did an excellent job with inspecting the house. He was very knowledgable in his field and thorough with his inspection. He carefully and patiently looked at both the exterior and interior of the building. He pointed out the deficiencies, what the risks are and how to rectify them. He answered all of our questions and made sure that we understood them. He offered his expertise and help if we needed.

Mandan, Toronto

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