3 must-know facts about asbestos in Porirua

While technically part of the greater Wellington area, Porirua is a small city in its own right, and one of the many areas serviced by our team here at PRO Environmental Services.

We often work on asbestos removal projects in Porirua, as well as other work such as environmental cleaning, mould removal, and demolition. As asbestos removal is such a key part of our work, we thought we’d share some interesting facts about asbestos in Porirua!

1. Asbestos is still extremely common in Porirua homes and businesses 

Despite the fact that building with asbestos containing materials (ACM) was phased out by the 1990s, it’s still extremely common to find homes, schools, and commercial buildings that contain asbestos all over the city. 

It’s easy to think that asbestos is less common now simply because new builds don’t use it, but due to the ageing stock of our local properties, it’s still quite common. In fact, due to the age of these buildings, asbestos is becoming an increasing problem as those properties require repairs and maintenance that can release asbestos fibres.

2. There are two types of asbestos in Porirua 

There are multiple ‘types’ of asbestos, but they all boil down to two categories; Class A (also known as Grade A) and Class B (also known as Grade B) asbestos. 

The difference between the two is simply the condition it is in. Class B is the non-friable kind of asbestos, which means the fibres are tightly bonded, and are therefore less likely to break off where they can become a hazard to human health. Class A is friable, which means the fibres are not tightly bonded, and therefore crumble easily, breaking apart and becoming a huge danger for anyone in the vicinity. 

Both types of asbestos are of course very dangerous to human health, but Class A – the friable one – is more of an imminent threat. 

Since there are two types of asbestos, there are also two types of asbestos removalists in Porirua. A Class A asbestos removalist (such as PRO Environmental Services) is trained and licensed to safely remove both kinds of asbestos, whereas a Class B asbestos removalist is only licensed to remove non-friable asbestos.

3. Asbestos removal is best left to the professionals 

There isn’t such a thing as DIY asbestos removal, unless you are willing to seriously risk your health, and the health of anyone living on or visiting the property. This is a task for trained professionals who know how to prepare an area for removal, have the appropriate PPE to do the task, remove the asbestos, then dispose of the waste according to local safety laws. 

All of that takes training, knowledge, experience, and skill, as well as the right tools and safety equipment for the job. At PROES, we’re always happy to share our skills, qualifications, and experience. You can even read about some of our Case Studies to find similar projects to what you might be working on. 

Professional asbestos removal in Porirua 

PRO Environmental Services can remove any asbestos in Porirua, whether that’s a small project in part of your home so you can do renovations, or a huge project on a commercial property or school. There is no task too small or too large for our team, and we’re known for our commitment to sticking to timeframes and budgets, with clear communication on how the project is progressing from start to finish. 

Contact us here to get a free, no-obligation quote for your asbestos removal job, or to ask any questions about our work.