Human beings have a long history of using asbestos due to its properties of fire and heat resistance, and the Romans not only knew about asbestos but also knew something about the damaging effects it had on the health of people who mined it. While the use of asbestos materials is now banned for most…
During World War II, large numbers of women entered the construction industry to take up jobs vacated by men who went to war. In the decades after this Rosie the Riveter era ended, women working in any capacity in the construction industry became a rarity. This trend reversed again in the 1980s, and women once…
Understanding the different types of hazardous waste is important when seeking solutions for dangerous materials generated in your business. The EPA defines four categories of hazardous waste, and each type poses different dangers and requires specific handling procedures and disposal methods. Four Types of Hazardous Waste The four categories of hazardous waste materials are: Toxic…
Soil can become contaminated by a variety of substances, but heavy metals are one of the more common types of soil contamination. Heavy metals are a group of naturally occurring metallic minerals including lead, arsenic, selenium, nickel, cadmium, copper, mercury, zinc, manganese, and chromium. Cleaning-Up Heavy Metal Contamination Heavy metal contamination can happen due to…
Lead was often added to paint in years past because it improved the drying time and made the coating more long-lasting. Lead can also be found in some older plumbing fixtures and solder. In fact, the word plumbing comes from the Latin word for lead, because it was used by the Romans for making pipes.…
Oil spills are a common type of environmental disaster. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports an average of about 70 oil spill incidents each day, although most are relatively small compared to the occasional massive oil tanker disaster. Methods of Cleaning Up Oil Spill Disasters Each incident of an oil spill is unique and…
When asbestos is present in an older building, complete removal of the substance is not always the best solution for controlling the hazard. In some situations, encapsulating or encasing the asbestos inside another material is the safest and most cost-effective route to asbestos abatement. Encapsulation of Asbestos One positive fact about asbestos, and the reason…
Green building methods and materials are becoming more popular and widely used as concern about the environment increases. Using green building methods and materials is also popular because green buildings save money over time by reducing energy costs and also by sometimes qualifying the property owner for tax savings and other rebates. But what exactly…