Popcorn Ceilings = Asbestos

An old home fashion trend may introduce asbestos into your life when you live in an older home in the GTA. We’re not really sure why so-called popcorn ceilings were ever popular. They naturally gather dust, creating a dull look in no time. They’re also hard to clean, to add icing to the cake. Popcorn…

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GreenStream – Asbestos Removal In The News

A CBC Toronto Radio programme – Here And Now – recently had a show on asbestos and what the troublesome mineral means for homeowners. When they looked to an expert to provide some context, they looked no further than our own Manny Oliveira, owner of GreenStream Environmental. As the show and the interview highlighted, asbestos…

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Trendy DIY Renos or Asbestos Risk?

WorkSafeBC has launched a campaign we’d like to see make waves across the country, warning homeowners about the risk of asbestos when it comes to home renovations. Home renovations are undergoing a new renaissance. It makes sense; with the price of housing climbing through the roof, it’s often a better choice to renovate than move.…

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Asbestos and Vermiculite – a Double Whammy

A town in southwest Ontario just discovered a nasty surprise during the course of demolishing an old school — the double whammy of asbestos and vermiculite insulation. During the demolition of the former Doverwood school in Port Dover, it was already known that asbestos was present. However, when the job began, workers discovered more than…

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What Happened to the Asbestos Ban?

A few years ago, the last asbestos mine in the country closed for good after a new Quebec provincial government nixed a deal for its owners. Canada went from becoming the biggest exporter of asbestos – and a despised champion of its protection from international regulation – to…a sort of wishy washy neutral stance. It’s…

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Repeated Asbestos Offenders

Some parties just don’t learn – although in this case of repeated asbestos violations, we’re not sure if that statement applies more to the company or the governmental bodies involved. Seattle Environmental of Vancouver was fined a whopping $280K last December for incidents involving asbestos removal that happened between 2013 and 2015. Those fines were…

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Asbestos remediation, encapsulation and removal

Can you safely live and work with asbestos? The answer is a pretty ambivalent, “maybe, sometimes…” Late last month, the DND (Department of National Defense) recently made headlines – but not for any military maneuvers. Media attention came from the fact that the DND moved about 500 staff members into a building that is known…

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Firefighters Get New App To Track Asbestos Exposure

A University of Toronto innovation is helping firefighters track the effects when it comes to exposure to asbestos and other hazardous substances. Statistics show that firefighters do suffer from an increased risk of mesothelioma – twice as high in some studies. Mesothelioma is the result of exposure to asbestos fibres. Because of their virtually indestructible nature, they…

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