I’m still unpacking boxes of shop supplies I bought when my friend
closed her shop. I found her well-used soldering pad last night. It’s
a 12 inch square of asbestos, looks like an old ceiling tile. Obviously
the thing has to go. I sure don’t want it.
Two questions–
Re: disposal of the old one: Do I dare to just slip it with my
garbage and set it out on trash pickup day? Or is there a law that
says I have to notify some government authority and have a crew in
hazmat suits come to take away one ceiling tile?
Re: replacement: What’s the best sort of surface to use for doing
silver soldering with a “water torch”?
Thanks in advance,
–Kathy Johnson
Feathered Gems Jewelry
http://www.featheredgems.com
I used to deal a lot in asbestos issues in my past life. The best
thing to do is call your local state agency, start with the
environmental people, and ask them what you should do. The state
laws vary sooooo much. It makes a difference whether you are a “home
owner” doing asbestos work or a company. It is easier to deal with
it if you are a “home owner”.
Put the asbestos in two bags, each sealed separately, and find out
locally where you can dispose of it through your state environmental
division. It should not be a big deal. I should also mention, in
the first bag make sure you saturate the pad with a lot of soap and
water solution. Mix some dishsoap and water together, this lessons
the water surface tension and it’s easier for the water to go into
the pad, which means the fibers will not be released into the air if
the bag is broken.
You shouldn’t have any white suits in your house. Believe me, this
is nothing to be upset about. Just dispose of it properly.
Carol
Hi Kathie Disposal of asbestos is a touchy subject it should be dumped
in a certified dump for hazardous waste. 1)If you wrap it up in 3 mill
poly tape all openings closed with ductape and bag it then drive the
item to an asbestos abatement company they will dispose it in a proper
dump site. some abatement companies have a dirty room where the store
equipment that needs to be cleaned if they do they will have a barrel
there where they can dump old hepa filters for vacuums or dirty water
from cleaning the equipment that needs to be disposed of and they will
drop it in that barrel and they might not even charge you for the
dumping.
Hope this helps
Cheers…
Gary
Kathie, disposing of toxic or hazardous waste is an interesting
dilemma. I had a similiar question about 12 years ago in Cincinnati
Ohio. Briefly, Cincinnati was once a hub in the jewelry manufacturing
industry. Jewelry manufacturers had no problem purchasing sodium
cyanide for the purpose of cleaning jewelry. The practice has long
been abolished.
More to the point…I had the responsibility of disposing of one
cube of sodium cyanide (about an ounce) that had lingered in a trade
shop for several years. We did not want to simply flush the material
down the Ohio river. I naturally called the local Health Department.
They suggested that I call the Office of the Chief of Fire
Department. They in turn suggested that I call the Environmental
Protection Agency. The Environmental Protection Agency suggested that
it would be an expensive solution, but I should commission a licensed
company that specializes in the proper disposal of hazardous
substances…Several years later I still had the cyanide.Robert R.
Wooding