I have been involved in the asbestos business a long time.  For years we installed insulation materials containing asbestos, then I opened a company to remove the material we had put on. Over the years I have been involved in all kinds of asbestos abatement and environmental cleanup projects in half the states in our country.  After all this, now I find myself in the lab business.  Who would have ever guessed?

My point is, I have been around the asbestos business long enough to have seen some strange things happen over the years but I am constantly amazed at what I am seeing now.  We are fortunate having several hundred customers scattered around and getting feed back concerning how the asbestos rules are being treated throughout the country.  From my view point it appears the states are backing away from the strict enforcement of the rules and are allowing consultants and state inspectors to make judgment calls based on how they feel that day.  We are seeing decisions going both ways, some where only a trace of asbestos is present is being classified hazardous and in other cased where asbestos is present it is being removed without addressing personal protection or the containment of loose fibers.  We have one situation where the consultant isn't using any of the commonly used sampling methods, he just looks at the material and makes a determination as to the amount of asbestos it contains.

I have never believed that walking by an asbestos fiber would kill anyone but I do believe the hassle of a law suit filed by a disgruntled employee or an unhappy customer can be hazardous to your health.  The rules are in place and they're not hard to follow.  Also, I found that by doing it right I could sleep at night.

John Barnett

President / CEO

QuanTEM Laboratories, LLC