Do you Have Asbestos in Your Building? Manage It Safely with Green Coatings!

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that hasthere left to do?
been continually used for centuries worldwide. It is 
best known for its fireproofing characteristics andMuch like everything else in life, it all boils down to
can be found in over two thousand building products.how we handle and manage things. Asbestos can be
Even though it was outlawed in 1974 in the USA, it ismanaged in place through encasement with green
still produced and used in many countries, such ascoatings. Encasement refers to encasing building
China and Russia, while other countries including Japancomponents, interior and exterior, including the
and South Korea have recently placed a full ban onhazardous materials; in this case, asbestos. And the
the manufacture, import and use of asbestos.most efficient way to do so is with green coatings.
 Roofing and spray on fireproofing made up of
Even though Japan has recently outlawed asbestos,asbestos are some of the largest areas of concern
they estimate that there are over five million existingthat can benefit from being encased with green
roofs alone made up of ACM (Asbestos Containingcoatings.
Materials) that could potentially be released into the 
environment.Encasement with green coatings is a long term,
 sustainable and, more importantly, renewable solution
The question is not whether asbestos can causecompared to typical paints or coatings which only last
serious medical concerns/problems. It's proven that ita few years.  It reduces the harmful effects on
can. The question is whether it can be used safelypeople and the environment while lengthening the life
for its positive attributes without exposing anyone toof buildings.
its potential harm. 
 It also happens to be the economical alternative to
Asbestos can be safely managed just like otherother abatement methods, such as removal, disposal
hazards in our life, such as gasoline or electricity. Weand replacement. Encasement is less disruptive of
take daily advantage of these other potential hazardsongoing services. It does not require shutting down
and wouldn't think of not using them to make ourbuildings or having to relocate occupants, which is
lives more productive and comfortable. It can andcostly and time consuming. Most work can be
should be the same with asbestos. We manage allcompleted in a minimal amount of time with no
the potential dangers of these other hazardousbuilding disruption at all, resulting to a savings of 25%
materials safely all the time without much thought onto 75% over removal and replacement.
how we do that. We take for granted the strength 
and reliability of a strong gas tank or the durability ofIn addition, not having to do any sort of removal of
the coating over our electric cords.any building components is environmentally sound.
 Removing and replacing any building component
We wouldn't want a leaky gas tank or a frayedmeans transporting and disposing of that material in
electric cord. With the same thought managing theour already overflowing landfills. Studies show that a
potential hazards of asbestos with a good protectivelarge number of the CO2 emissions causing green
coating does easily and safely deal with all itshouse gases, contributing to global warming/climate
potential dangers while still taking advantage of itschange, are coming from landfills. It stands to reason
positive uses.that we need to minimize the generation of this
 unnecessary waste by recycling buildings and all their
We demand that our gas tanks don't leak and ourcomponents, which is easily accomplished through in
electricity doesn't harm anyone. We should and canplace management with encasement green coatings.
expect the same when we manage asbestos, which 
has been called the best fireproofing known toLooking at a simple balance sheet like the one below
mankind. As with a gas tank or electric cords, youit's easy to see the logical choice of management in
wouldn't want to use cheap materials to containplace with encasement green coatings over removal
those potential hazards and the same should beand replacement.
expected with in-place management of asbestos. We 
don't need to remove them, just safely manageGreen coatings have no environmental downside to
them.using them. They are non-toxic, water based, low
 VOC's, (Volatile Organic Compounds), no ODS's
Removing all asbestos would be the same as(Ozone Depleting Substances), Class A fire rated. The
removing all water in our lives because people canproducts should be backed up with toxicological
drown or removing any fire because people andreports proving that they are so clean that they can
buildings get burned. It would be like having nobe applied even with pregnant women and children in
swimming pools or think about no barbeques,the room. Green coatings used for encasement
cookouts or fireplaces.should also be extremely durable, long lasting and able
 to take a lot of abuse. They must be especially
People have been torn between removing theflexible; being able to elongate with the expanding
asbestos that already exist in their structures or justand contracting of any typical building movements.
simply letting it be. Both choices result to the same 
thing - unhealthy air for its inhabitants and thoseWith this kind of green coatings, in place
surrounding it. Unsafely removing asbestos wouldmanagement and restoration with encasement green
release the asbestos fiber into the air making itcoatings is the best and most practical way to
unhealthy for our lungs. On the other hand, not doingextend a buildings life including its roof along with
anything about it would still release asbestos fiberssafely dealing with most of its components as well as
through breakdown and disintegration. So what ispotentially hazardous ones.