Asbestos on the Road

A complaint by a resident north of Toronto and the GTA underscores the way asbestos was once used – virtually anywhere in residential and industrial construction, and also in public infrastructure.

Asbestos + asphalt
Specifically, the complaint comes from Barrie, Ontario, and involves a street that residents claim is in a state of disrepair. One resident has gone public with claims that the crumbling street, which sports a large pothole, contains asbestos.

Asbestos in asphalt, you say?

Asphalt was mixed with asbestos for a variety of reasons. Asbestos has many qualities that asphalt does not.

• It’s fibrous in composition, and those fibres are virtually indestructible;
• It’s fire and heat resistant;
• It’s water resistant.

In other words, it strengthens asphalt. Along with the asphalt mixture used in roads, the combination was used for a variety of other purposes.

• Roofing shingles;
• Siding shingles;
• Flashings;
• Roll roofing.

It was used a great deal as early as about 1890, and was very popular from the 1960s to mid-1980s. Mixed materials, with asbestos and other substances, are called ACM or asbestos containing materials.

The problem with ACM…
While asbestos is virtually indestructible, the other materials it was mixed with are not, and that includes asphalt. It means that, as the road begins to deteriorate and crumble, it could be creating asbestos dust.

• Asbestos dust, or friable asbestos, can be inhaled;
• Once in the lungs, it never leaves, creating chronic inflammation;
• That inflammation can eventually lead to cancer and mesothelioma.

Asbestos in Your Home
Asbestos can show up literally from floor to ceiling, basement to attic and roof, in a variety of forms and ACM. If your home was built before the mid-1980s, it almost certainly contains asbestos in one form or another.

Let us help. If you have asbestos anywhere in your home, let us help with the next step: asbestos removal. Our experienced and certified asbestos removal and asbestos remediation technicians can help keep you and your family safe. In the Toronto area call Environmental at (416) 818-9414. Contact us for a quote today.

Featured in Mike Holmes’ magazine, HGTV’s Income Properties, W Network’s Love It Or List It and chosen by Homestars.com as “Best Toronto Asbestos Removal Company” based on customer ratings and reviews, GreenStream Environmental Services are fully-certified, trusted and insured professionals in the removal and disposal of commercial, industrial, institutional and residential asbestos, vermiculite and mould (hazardous and non-hazardous). Providing emergency service 24/7/365 for all of Toronto and the GTA (North York, Mississauga, Markham, Brampton, Scarborough, Ajax, Oshawa, and beyond) GreenStream has over 40 combined years of experience serving clients such as the City of Toronto, the Toronto District School Board and many more. For a free estimate in Toronto, the GTA and Southern Ontario, call today at 416-818-9414. You’ll be glad you did.