What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fiber. In the past, its properties of strength and fire-resistance made it desirable for construction and other industries to add asbestos to a variety of products – making it extremely difficult to visually identify. To combat this issue, the Alberta Asbestos Abatement Manual (2019) has outlined best practices to gather and identify suspect Asbestos Containing Material (ACM). See Chapter 7: Asbestos Sampling and Analysis.

Air Monitoring

Alliance Air Monitoring Ltd. acknowledges Alberta’s Occupation Health & Safety Codes/Legislation and the industry’s best practices document: Alberta Asbestos Abatement Manual (2019) or AAAM. For asbestos air monitoring, we follow procedures set forth by the AAAM (Section 7.2 Air Sample Collection).

Our consultants provide a full assessment of the building, interpret results, and provide recommendations for every assessment. Our company also follows the requirements of the Alberta Government document: Occupational Hygiene Reports: Requirements and Tips, where competency assessors must have the qualifications necessary.

Hazardous Materials Surveys are also offered by Alliance Air Monitoring Ltd. These surveys are for a more robust identification of all hazardous materials that may be present such as Lead (in Paint), ODS, PCSs, Mercury, Radioactive Components, and Mould.

Bulk Sampling for Asbestos

The Alberta Government has several publications that homeowners or contractors should be aware of. Specifically, Asbestos Exposure in the Demolition and Renovation Industries states:

“If a building is to be demolished/renovated, the employer must ensure that any asbestos-containing materials that will be disturbed are removed. Some municipal jurisdictions require confirmation that this has been completed before demolition or development permits are issued.”

Please click on the above link for more information on Health Effects, commons ACMs that are tested, Exposure Control, and Disposal.

Inevitably, older homes or buildings can be difficult to visually determine what ACMs may be present; multiple layers of hidden drywall, flooring or roofing can only be identified by an investigation. Alliance Air Monitoring recommends that anyone deemed competent to provide an asbestos assessment (or gather suspect ACMs) should issue guidelines and procedures to avoid any legal action by Occupational Health & Safety.

Bulk Sampling is for homeowners or contractors who require a determination of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) for renovations or demolitions.

Samples are sent to an accredited lab where NIOSH Method 9002 or asbestos PLM (polarized-light microscopy) is utilized. TEM (transition electron microscopy) is an alternate method of identification, while it offers more precise results, PLM is sufficient and less costly. TEM identification also has no criteria established in Canada; it is rarely used.

Asbestos Fibre Counting

Alliance Air Monitoring is certified to perform asbestos fibre analysis. We also have several portable labs that can easily be set up on any job site location for immediate sample analysis.

NIOSH 7400 (PCM) methods are followed, including quarterly proficiency testing under PT Canada (formerly the Canadian Association for Laboratory Accreditation – CALA). Inter lab quality control (QC) programs are also completed and documented utilizing blind recounts of 10% of samples taken and daily recounts of references slides (from the American Industrial Hygiene Association – AIHA).

Alliance Air Monitoring updates all data yearly to determine the C.V. (Coefficient of Variation). This represents the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean and is useful for comparing the degree of variation from one analyst to another.

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