Gross sticky nasty gunk everywhere
February 24, 2012 1:49 PM Subscribe
I live in a pre-war (1920's?) Brooklyn apartment building. Recently, the ceiling in the kitchen collapsed due to a leak in the pipes above, spreading plaster, dust, and wet and dry gunk everywhere. Now the landlord has completed a shoddy-looking repair, again leaving everything in the kitchen covered in dust and powder and sticky gunk. Every. Single. Thing. Two questions: how do I find out if we are in danger of asbestos exposure? How do I proceed if we are?
When we renovated, a private inspector took samples and charged less that $200 for a formal report. IIRC it was specifically a testing company rather than an abatement company. I was hoping for some measure of impartiality. Peace of mind might be worth the investment.
posted by bonobothegreat at 2:42 PM on February 24, 2012
posted by bonobothegreat at 2:42 PM on February 24, 2012
Look in the yellow pages for a local lab then baggie up some samples and take them over. They'll tell you if its asbestos.
posted by fshgrl at 3:25 PM on February 24, 2012
posted by fshgrl at 3:25 PM on February 24, 2012
In addition to getting this stuff tested for asbestos, you might also want to test for lead. In NYC, 311 is your friend for all of this stuff. Call them and they will guide you to someone who can help.
posted by sciencegeek at 3:56 PM on February 24, 2012
posted by sciencegeek at 3:56 PM on February 24, 2012
Get it tested. Call the NYC #(311?) that helps people resolve problems; your landlord must come in and clean up, make sure repairs are correct, etc. jeez, what a pain for you.
posted by theora55 at 4:46 PM on February 24, 2012
posted by theora55 at 4:46 PM on February 24, 2012
Calling 311 is probably your best bet. Or the Kings County Building Dept.
Was the work permitted? Probably not, and it is a gray area on a permit there. Repair work, no permit - new construction, need a permit. How much new plumbing pipe was installed?
It is unlikely that there was asbestos in the plaster (or sheet-rock) of the ceiling of an apartment. However, if there were any hot water pipes, they VERY likely had asbestos around them. Did you notice the plumbing pipes? Did any of them appear to have white corrogated card-paper wrapper around it? It would be old and dirty, some more likely gray, not white. That is asbestos. Very common in pre-War Brooklyn buildings to insulate hot water pipes.
Take pictures of everything.
posted by Flood at 5:15 PM on February 24, 2012
Was the work permitted? Probably not, and it is a gray area on a permit there. Repair work, no permit - new construction, need a permit. How much new plumbing pipe was installed?
It is unlikely that there was asbestos in the plaster (or sheet-rock) of the ceiling of an apartment. However, if there were any hot water pipes, they VERY likely had asbestos around them. Did you notice the plumbing pipes? Did any of them appear to have white corrogated card-paper wrapper around it? It would be old and dirty, some more likely gray, not white. That is asbestos. Very common in pre-War Brooklyn buildings to insulate hot water pipes.
Take pictures of everything.
posted by Flood at 5:15 PM on February 24, 2012
It is unlikely that there was asbestos in the plaster (or sheet-rock) of the ceiling of an apartment.
Not true. In any work performed before the late 1970's there could be asbestos in plaster, sheetrock, and the joint compound. The problem with asbestos is when it becomes friable. Dry plaster, dust, etc. make it possible for the asbestos to become airborne. I would immediately get a test done on a number of surfaces where you think dust settled, and any remaining fragments of the old ceiling.
posted by Gungho at 6:12 AM on February 25, 2012
Not true. In any work performed before the late 1970's there could be asbestos in plaster, sheetrock, and the joint compound. The problem with asbestos is when it becomes friable. Dry plaster, dust, etc. make it possible for the asbestos to become airborne. I would immediately get a test done on a number of surfaces where you think dust settled, and any remaining fragments of the old ceiling.
posted by Gungho at 6:12 AM on February 25, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
This says only a professional can really get rid of it, but you can at least seal asbestos materials in plastic in the meantime. DO NOT rip it, break it, or anything like that. As for the legal end, NYC.gov has a decent website for rules, forms, and abatement services. There is probably some law that requires landlords to take care of asbestos, but that's a question for a lawyer.
posted by Grimp0teuthis at 2:28 PM on February 24, 2012