Asbestos Shingles

Damanged Shingles	Hints For Removing Shingles
Regulations	More Information

Damaged Shingles
Severely damaged cement asbestos shingles or transite shingles that are pulverized or abraded pose a more serious health risk because of the potential for significant fiber releases. Weathering and scouring of the severely damaged areas by hail and rain may deposit asbestos fibers around the foundation of the structure, later to be re-entrained into the air at the breathing level of the person operating lawn mowing equipment or playing in the yard.

 Fiber release from severely damaged shingles can be controlled by removing and replacing the pulverized and damaged shingles, or the damaged portions of the shingle surface, so as to remove the source of fiber release. Once the loose and friable material is removed, exposed edges can be sealed with latex paint or other sealant.

When handling any unregulated asbestos material, the Department suggests that the material be kept wet, that respiratory protection be worn to prevent the inhalation of asbestos fibers into the lungs. That disposable clothing be worn while working and discarded when leaving the work area so the asbestos fibers are not carried into your home and public buildings. That exposed areas of the body be washed thoroughly, and that all asbestos material be disposed of in a Department of Environmental Quality Landfill approved to accept asbestos containing materials.

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Regulations

The Nebraska Asbestos Control Program Regulations apply to any removal, enclosure, encapsulation, related dismantling and related demolition project for any Asbestos Containing Material (ACM), which is friable ACM or non-friable ACM made friable or about to be made friable by any activity or event. An ACM project shall include activities that affect more than three square feet or more than three linear feet of ACM on or in a structure or equipment item or appurtenance thereto; ACM is any material or product which contains more than one percent asbestos. Non-friable materials which remain non-friable all the way to the landfill are not regulated.

By definition, friable asbestos means asbestos in a form which can be crumbled, pulverized or reduced to powder by hand pressure. Non-friable asbestos is a material containing asbestos locked into a hard matrix which prevents it from being crumbled, pulverized or reduced to powder by hand pressure. However, non-friable asbestos material can be made friable by grinding, sawing, abrading, cutting or crushing. The transite or cement asbestos shingles on your house are non-friable.

LB923 excludes from regulation by the Department of Health & Human Services, any activities physically performed by a homeowner, a member of the homeowner’s family, or an unpaid volunteer, on or in the homeowner’s residential property of four units or less.

LB923 allows a business entity, which only performs asbestos projects which are less than two hundred and sixty linear feet or which are less than one hundred and sixty square feet and linear feet in any combination, to not be required to be licensed. Business entities not required to hold a license shall provide a training course to inform the employees of the health and safety aspects of the asbestos project, including the applicable state standards. This has been interpreted to mean that an employee shall be Nebraska certified as an asbestos worker or an asbestos supervisor.

A license IS NOT required to paint or seal non-friable asbestos surfaces.

The health risks of asbestos fiber in the air are lung disease and lung cancer, caused by repeated exposure to high levels of asbestos fibers in the air. Generally, it takes fifteen to thirty years or more for the exposure to be manifested into detectable disease symptoms.

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Hints For Removing Shingles

Here are some helpful hints and information for successfully removing cement asbestos or transite shingles from your home without causing a significant release or asbestos fiber into the air. Start at the highest point and look for exposed nail heads. This would be the starting point for removing the nails or nipping the nail head so that the shingles can be removed without breaking. As the first row of shingles is removed, the nails holding the row of shingles below will be exposed, so that they can be removed in the same manner. Sometimes the nail heads can be made more accessible for pulling or cutting by lifting up on the lower edge of the shingle so as to pry the nails out far enough to pull or cut, without breaking the shingle. This procedure can be helped along by carefully inserting a groundbreaking pitchfork with flat lines under the shingle to assist in the prying motion and reducing the breakage. Weathering may cause asbestos fibers to be released from the shingle so that they collect in cracks, seams and joints. Keeping the shingles wet while removing them will help lock the fiber down to the shingle long enough to place it into a suitable bag made from six-mil thick plastic, where any fibers released from the shingle will be contained inside the bag. Spray water inside the bag periodically to ensure the shingles stay wet. Do not throw or drop the shingles to the ground. Place the shingles in the plastic bag and lower the bag carefully to the ground.

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For more information;

The Nebraska Deparment of Health & Human Services Regulation and Licensure Asbestos Program can provide you with more information regarding asbestos procedures, licenses certified Business Entities Licensed in the state of Nebraska.  Pamphlets, borchures, and other materials on asbestos are also available.

 

Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services
Asbestos Control/Lead-Based Paint Program
301Centennial Mall South, P.O. Box 95026
Lincoln, Nebraska 68509-5026
Phone:  (402) 471-0386 Fax: (402) 471-8833
Toll Free: 888-242-1100 ext 1 in Nebraska only
E-mail: bobbie.mills@dhhs.ne.gov

Asbestos Program Page