Asbestos Awareness for Gardeners: Safety Tips for Dealing with Contaminated Soil
Most avid gardeners know the recipe for success when it comes to growing healthy plants: healthy soil. And if there’s one thing that can throw a spanner in the works, it’s asbestos. The last thing the average gardener expects to find in their soil is asbestos, but it happens more than you think.
Just as you would research how to grow particular plants, it pays to research how to deal with asbestos-contaminated soil. We’ve included some helpful information below.
Why Is There Asbestos In My Garden?
Realising you have asbestos in your garden can be shocking. How on earth (pardon the pun) did it get there? Well, there can be many possible reasons.
Sometimes, asbestos-containing building materials can be to blame. Over time, rain and water passing over damaged or decomposed materials can cause the asbestos fibres to escape and be swept away. This can be particularly true if you or someone else has used high-pressure water hoses on asbestos-containing materials.
The asbestos might have already been present in the soil due to mismanaged deconstruction projects or uncontrolled dumping. Sadly, it’s not uncommon for irresponsible people to dump and bury asbestos-containing products instead of transporting them to approved landfill facilities.
How Do I Know If There’s Asbestos In My Soil?
When you’re preparing your soil for planting, asbestos is the last thing you’re thinking about. Instead, you’re focused on pH levels and ensuring the most appropriate acidity for optimal plant growth.
Given that asbestos fibres are also up to 30 times thinner than human hair, it’s next to impossible to spot in its raw form. However, there can be ways to tell if asbestos contamination is an issue.
Finding pieces of asbestos-containing building materials can be among the most obvious signs. You might also have surrounding asbestos-containing materials in poor condition. Sometimes, local councils have a history on file of properties and any asbestos exposure events.
You can also perform an asbestos soil sample test. Asbestos experts can test a sample of your soil in a lab to determine the type of asbestos, its condition, its location, and how deep it can be traced.
What Can I Do About Asbestos In My Soil?
Knowing how many health risks can be associated with friable asbestos, most gardeners won’t be eager to plant vegetables in contaminated soil. So, what are your options? You have a few, and we’ll cover these below.
1. Leave Everything to the Experts
As soon as you have identified the presence of asbestos, you might decide to call licensed asbestos removalists in NZ and let them handle everything. They can test the soil to confirm its existence and put a plan in place for removing it.
You can sit back, relax, and let the experts do all the hard work. By the time the gardening season kicks off in earnest, you can plant to your heart’s content without worrying about asbestos contamination.
2. Cover It With More Soil
If you don’t have the funds or local experts available to assist with asbestos-contaminated soil removal, you have the option to cover it up. This can involve clearing the top surface of any asbestos materials and covering low-level contaminated soil with uncontaminated soil. You must add enough soil to ensure that gardening, site works, and other outdoor activities will not see that soil uncovered again.
It’s also important to note that the act of burying asbestos-contaminated soil often requires supervision by a contaminated land practitioner. Its exact location must also be recorded in council records.
3. Cover It With a Hard Surface
If you have plenty of non-contaminated soil on your property, covering your contaminated area with a hard surface like concrete might be worth considering. Of course, you’ll need to relocate your garden to another part of your property, but you can have a nice little patio area to enjoy!
Covering contaminated soil with concrete is ultimately a form of encapsulation. As it’s tucked away under concrete, it no longer poses a risk to home occupants.
4. Remove It Yourself
In some situations, soil removal is something you can do yourself. This tends to be the case if the area is small and the asbestos isn’t friable. It is not normally possible with high-level contamination. If you do attempt to tackle this task yourself, experts advise you to take great care.
Block the area off to people and animals
Clear the area of removable objects like furniture and plant pots
Line all surrounding surfaces with polyethylene film and strong adhesive tape
Install warning signs to keep people out
Wear PPE equipment, such as disposable overalls with a hood, gloves, shoe coverings, and an appropriate mask or respirator
Get Help With Asbestos-contaminated Soil Today
Managing any form of asbestos contamination can be overwhelming. Knowing the health risks, you might be eager not to take any chances. In that case, why not get the experts involved? Asbestos removal experts in NZ, like Chemcare, are professional, qualified, and licensed to handle all soil testing and removal tasks. You can then get back to gardening and enjoying your hazard-free soil!