Great news.  The interior of our building has been found to be free of asbestos and we are proceeding forward with filing for a permit. After touring the building with our certified asbestos inspector we learned a tremendous amount in the process.  In the industrialized world, most products manufactured today do not contain asbestos as it was phased out of building products mostly in the 1970s with most of the remainder phased out by the 1980s. Building materials that may potentially contain asbestos in residences include a variety of products, such as: stiple used in textured walls and ceilings, drywall joint filler compound, asbestos contaminated vermiculite, vinyl floor tile, vinyl sheet flooring, window putty, mastic, cement board, furnace tape, piping insulation, and stucco. Generally, the most problematic condition is when the material is friable. Meaning that small particles easily can become dislodged when the material is disturbed, thus enabling them to become respirable (able to enter human lungs), posing a health hazard.

It also interesting to note, that even though it is well documented that asbestos is a known carcinogen and needs to be handled with extreme care, it is still mined and sold to this day. Often it is harvested by industrialized countries and sold in the developing world where standards are less stringent concerning the public welfare, health, and safety. One only needs to look north of the border to the town of Asbestos, Quebec, which in a desperate bid to create economic opportunity was recently willing to reopen the Jeffery mine to harvest the mineral of which the town is named for.

Who knew the Canadians were up to more than peddling donuts, bad coffee, and hockey players to rest of the world…

There is little to be said for this other than it sucks and is just plain wrong.

In order to begin our demolition and start construction we have elected to file for a permit under the 1968 code as the building we are renovating was built in 1890. Under this scenario, the DOB requires an asbestos report for the filing. We are going to need an ACP-5 report to proceed with our renovation which will be filed in conjunction with our drawings during the permit application process. The rules of the inspection are governed by the Asbestos Control Program run by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. A real barn burner of a read, not quite 50 shades of grey, perhaps 1 shade of grey. We have also been perusing around on Brownstoner looking for recommendations for asbestos inspectors but what we have found through users on the website is not necessarily reflective or kosher with the list of inspectors that are certified by the city of New York. Our opinion is that when you are dealing with tenants, along with the multiple dwellings law, and where public welfare is at stake, safety is of the utmost concern. When you hire an asbestos investigator, be sure they are registered professionals. A registered professional is required to have the following;

1-16 Asbestos Investigator Certificate. (a) (1) No individual shall engage in building survey and hazard assessment for asbestos unless that individual is certified as an asbestos investigator by the department.

You will need a registered asbestos inspector and a report for the following projects unless an exception applies through the building code;

§1-22 Projects Requiring Certification to the Department of Buildings. (a) This section shall apply to applications for the following projects requiring permits to be issued by the Department of Buildings:
(1) Full demolitions.
(2) Alterations, renovations, or modifications.
(3) Plumbing work, except that applications for limited plumbing alterations shall be subject to this section only when the application is for the installation, alteration, or removal of fuel-burning equipment.