Non-Friable Asbestos Removal

Non friable asbestos refers to products which exceed one-percent asbestos content and cannot be pulverized by hand. Products which are not damaged can be removed without releasing dangerous asbestos fibers. Asbestos is contained in plaster, plumbing, wiring, floor tiles, heating ducts and wall and ceiling insulation. It is also used in ceiling treatments and roof shingles. Asbestos fibers are toxic and can have highly debilitating effects on health. Asbestos is no longer allowed in materials such as flooring felt, roll board or specialty, corrugated and commercial paper. It is also banned from being used in products that have never contained asbestos.

Categories

• Anyone involved in non friable asbestos removal must adhere to the proper protocol for the removal and disposal of this material during renovation or demolition of buildings. There are two categories of non friable materials: Category I non-friable and Category II non-friable ACM (Asbestos Containing Material).
  Category I non-friable ACM includes resilient floor covering, asphalt roofing materials or packing gaskets. It must exceed an asbestos content of one percent. Before demolition can take place, any product in this category that is in poor shape must be inspected and tested for friability.
  Category II non-friable ACM encompasses all materials that are not listed under the Category I non-friable ACM. Category II non-friable ACM products must also have an asbestos content that exceeds one percent. In addition, when the materials are dry, they should not be subjected to being crumbled or destroyed by hand. This would include cement siding or transite board shingles. Many of these products, such as shingles and siding, are subjected to harsh elements and often become friable.

Removal

• Removal procedures must be carefully planned and controlled to avoid contaminating adjoining areas. Proper non friable asbestos removal follows comprehensive safety and removal procedures spelled out by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state laws.
  Workers do not have to be licensed to remove this material. However, they must handle, transport and dispose of the material in a manner that prevents it from becoming damaged, or friable, and causing asbestos fibers to dislodge. Workers are required to wear respiratory protection, hoods, disposable coveralls and disposable shoe covers. These items are not to be worn outside the designated work area and should be immediately disposed of when the job is completed. The contractor must provide the proper area for the workers to change.
  If a building is being demolished, the asbestos materials must be removed before the demolition takes place if it is damaged or friable. Even if the building is being destroyed by setting an intentional fire, the asbestos-containing product must be extricated. Non-friable material is generally removed by sanding, grounding, abrading or cutting the asbestos. It must be wetted down as it is being removed.
  The workers must follow specific rules when wetting the material if there is a safety concern or the possibility of causing damage to equipment. The material should be immediately placed in a 6-millimeter polyethylene bag. The bag cannot be punctured or have any protruding objects. If the bag is not durable enough, place the asbestos waste into rigid containers like fiber drums. The waste container must be properly sealed, usually with duct tape, and placed into a clean 6-millimeter polyethylene bag. Seal the second container with tape and place an asbestos warning label on the container. The waste must then be transported to the proper waste facility for disposal.

Friable Vs. Non Friable Asbestos

Friable Vs. Non Friable Asbestos

Asbestos was a popular ingredient in building materials for many years because of its indestructibility, insulating properties, tensile strength and low electrical conductivity. It is still used in the U.S. today, but a distinction is made between more and less dangerous asbestos-containing material (ACM). More dangerous ACM can release asbestos fibers into the air where they can be inhaled and cause illness. Less dangerous ACM generally coats or encapsulates the asbestos fibers with cement, plastics, or asphalt so that they are not easily released into the air. The more dangerous ACMs have been banned or voluntarily replaced to a large degree, while some of the less dangerous ones remain in use.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made this distinction when first regulating ACM under the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) in 1973. They called the more dangerous type of ACM "friable." Friable asbestos-containing materials were officially defined as those materials containing more than 1% asbestos which could be crumbled, pulverized or reduced to powder by hand pressure when dry, using methods specified in the NESHAP rules.
The EPA called "non-friable" the generally less dangerous form of ACM, not very likely to release asbestos fibers into the air. A non-friable ACM is a material containing more than 1% asbestos but not able to be crumbled, pulverized or reduced to powder by hand pressure when dry, using the same methods (1).
The terms "friable" and "non-friable" are not necessarily meant to pertain to a particular material for its entire lifetime. Some materials will always be friable by their nature, particularly the lightweight uncapsulated ACM once used for insulation. But the EPA has determined that otherwise non-friable ACM can become friable if it is damaged or worn enough (2).  Cutting or grinding or sanding a non-friable material like asbestos-containing cement, as the homeowner might do during renovation, for instance, would create large amounts of dust which might contain significant amounts of asbestos fibers which had been freed from their binding material by the pressure exerted by power tools.

NESHAP therefore regulates both friable ACM and non-friable ACM which is likely to become friable when acted upon during demolition or renovation, or when degraded during its natural lifetime by the weather or other forces it might be exposed to. Non friable asbestos ACM may be either Category I or Category II, which is generally a division reflecting its probability of becoming friable over time, and its relative danger after being disturbed or degraded. Federal laws defined by NESHAP as well as the Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules for asbestos workers—plus more stringent laws on state and local levels for handling, transporting and disposal—will differ depending on whether the ACM in question is friable or non-friable Category I or Category II, and whether it shows damage or is likely to be damaged by the kind of action to be taken (3).