Managing Asbestos Soil Contamination

The Contaminated Sites Act (2003) of Australia defines a contaminated site as that which, " in relation to land, water or a site, mean shaving a substance present in or on that land, water or site at above background concentrations that presents, or has the potential to present, a risk of harm to human health, the environment or any environmental value."

Soil in Western Australia is the most likely to be contaminated by asbestos, according to The Government of Western Australia's Department of Health. Asbestos Containing sheets and fragments are the most common contaminants. In other cases, debris from pipe overlays or insulators also settle on the soil, and with time, churned naturally into the lower layers.

Asbestos will be considered to have contaminated soil if and when it is disposed of recklessly, instead of doing so in designated sites, during demolitions or renovations of old houses, or it could pollute the earth during production and mining. The danger posed by asbestos is best demonstrated by the its effects on the former residents of Witenoom, a former town in Western Australia, which once had an abundance of blue asbestos. It was mined extensively until December of 1966. That year, the Colonial Sugar Refinery, chief mining company, shut down its operations claiming non-profitability. To this day, about 2000 of the 20,000 former residents of the town have died from asbestos-related diseases, according to the Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia.

Sometimes, asbestos containing soil is used as a top soil in farming or fills dirt to elevate or level surfaces and fill in depressions on the ground. Fill material contains inorganic material, because using organic substances means bacteria decomposes it, and the ground becomes uneven once again.

The general means of managing contamination of the soil by asbestos are as follows:

1. Setting Legal Limits On The Supply Or Selling Asbestos-Contaminated Soil

2. Competent, qualified persons to handle the Asbestos contaminated soil (ACS)

A class A license holder, who can remove ACS polluted by both friable and non-friable asbestos, must be preferred. The Australian Standard, AS4964:2004: Method for the qualitative identification of asbestos in bulk samples, must be used to determine which type is present.

3. Remediation

The Contaminated Sites Act 2003 of Australia, at section 24 to 27, prescribes that the person responsible for the contamination, by causing or contributing to it, the person who changes the use of that land, the owner of the land, or the state, should be equally responsible in remediation of the site. (Soil in this case). Persons in this case also includes insolvent corporate bodies.

4. Safety Measures During Removal

Where the extent of the contamination is such that removal may solve the problem, only licensed removalist should be used, and appropriate safety measures used in the process. The processes include using personal protective equipment like protective overalls, using full face respirators, covering the area with plastic sheeting and using negative air supply units in the working area. Maximum care must be taken to make sure friable dust is not released into the air in the process.


----------------------------------------------------
Asbestos Removal Sydney is a trusted company in the removal of asbestos from the soil as testifies Wade Rogers. He is a part of a brilliant, highly organized and coordinated safety conscious team that make parts of Australia better places to live in. Get more information by visiting Asbestos Removal Sydney at http://asbestosremovalsydneywide.com.au/ .