What is asbestos?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fiber that has been used extensively in construction and many other industries. Nearly every building contains asbestos in some form. It has been widely used because of its special properties.

For example, asbestos is very resistant to destruction by heat or chemicals, and its fibers are extremely durable. These characteristics led to its use in wall insulation; paint; sprayed- or troweled-on surfacing materials; ceiling and flooring materials; pipe, boiler, and duct insulations; cement filler; and a variety of other products. However, you, the consumer, should know about the dangers of asbestos.

Why should I be concerned about asbestos?
Several types of disease can result from exposure to asbestos. In fact, inhalation of asbestos fibers can be deadly. Even short-term exposure to asbestos can be harmful. For example, family members of asbestos workers have contracted disease from exposure to asbestos fibers on the workers’ clothing. Authorities believe there is no safe level of exposure, although the higher the exposure to asbestos, the higher the risk of disease.

How does exposure to asbestos occur?
Asbestos that may be crumbled by hand pressure is called “friable” asbestos. Material containing friable asbestos is hazardous because asbestos fibers are easily released into the air by impact and deterioration.

Some asbestos is bound with other materials in products such as roofing shingles or vinyl-asbestos floor tiles. In these products, asbestos fiber is not released so easily. However, fibers in bound asbestos may be released when the material is cut, drilled, scraped, or sanded or when it is badly deteriorated.

Exposure to asbestos occurs when asbestos fibers of various sizes are released into the air and are inhaled.

The smaller fibers can remain in the air for long periods of time. These fibers are so small that they are only visible with a microscope. In fact, it takes 600 asbestos fibers bundled together to equal the thickness of a human hair. Some of the large fibers may lodge in the nose, but the smaller ones travel through the upper airways and become embedded in the lungs. The body has no effective mechanism for removing these fibers.

How will asbestos affect my health?
Exposure to asbestos may cause several types of serious diseases, including the following:

• Asbestosis
• Lung cancer
• Mesothelioma
• Other cancers

Download A Consumer Guide to Asbestos

PDF format, 328KB, 12Pages.

Introduction
The California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) licenses and regulates all contractors who are qualified to do asbestos work in buildings.

Additionally, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) has responsibility to register all contractors who perform asbestos abatement work and test and certify all asbestos abatement consultants.

California law prohibits any person from advertising for the removal of asbestos unless certified for that work. The law also requires that the contractor’s license number and the Cal/OSHA registration number be included in that advertising. This booklet provides information for consumers to help identify asbestos in buildings and the precautions needed to prevent harmful exposure to asbestos when planning for and undertaking its removal. It also describes the steps you should take when contracting with a company to remove asbestos.

The protections and procedures discussed later in this booklet will protect your health. Equally important, the protections are required by law.

Warning to Do-it-Yourselfers
Many consumers prefer to do their own homeimprovement jobs, realizing the rewards of planning and completing the jobs themselves and saving the expenses associated with hiring a licensed contractor.

While asbestos abatement or removal does not require an asbestos certification if the total area involved is less than 100 square feet, this does not necessarily mean that the job is any easier or less risky to perform. In fact, Cal/OSHA regulates the handling of any asbestos material, regardless of the setting.

Further, regulations and stringent transportation and disposal requirements are in effect for any asbestos-related work, even small amounts removed by a homeowner. For this reason, this booklet includes some of the same information about asbestos handling that licensed contractors are required to know.

While the booklet may appear to some readers to be complicated and technical, the information is provided to give you an adequate basis upon which to make decisions and take actions that are necessary to ensure your safety and health when handling asbestos.

Much of the information provided here is about the specialized skills and equipment required for the services of a registered and certified asbestos abatement contractor. To remove or render harmless all asbestos requires accurate information, correct procedures, and special equipment. If you decide to hire a licensed contractor, make sure the contractor has all the appropriate tools, training, and licensing and certification necessary to comply with the law and to protect you from unnecessary exposure to asbestos fibers.

You can remove asbestos yourself. But, keep in mind that if you do not adequately protect yourself, the job could prove more costly in the long run, with respect to health, disability and death, than any amount of money saved in the short run!

For additional information about dealing with contractors, contact the CSLB and request a free copy of “What You Should Know Before You Hire a Contractor.” The CSLB also publishes “A Contractor’s Guide to Asbestos With Open Book Examination,” another excellent resource for additional information about laws and regulations affecting work with asbestos. (See page 12 for contact information.)

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