Military Family Housing (1962, 1964 & 1970 Units) Asbestos Survey Report Eielson    Air Force Base

This extensive ACM survey was initiated by the U.S. Air Force, Pacific Air Command, 354th CONS/LGCA to protect their personnel and Air Force families during their inhabitation and use of Eielson’s older on-base housing, but specifically not predicated as an abatement project. The project goal was to gain data-based assurance of environmental compliance and building O&M/health review, not to work on ACM “cleanup”. The project scope included a detailed visual inspection of at least 25% (randomly selected) of (218) 1970 and older Military Family residential housing units, constructed over an 8-year period to the specifications of nine different housing unit floorplans. A detailed final report was prepared which delineated what ACM was found to be present in units representing each type of floorplan, where the materials were, what they looked like (color photos were incorporated into the report) and how both the residents and the Air Force’s maintenance and renovation contractors were to comport themselves while disturbing or altering these building materials while living in or upgrading the residential units. Inspection and survey efforts were limited to visual inspection and sampling with hand tools. Nothing other than limited destructive testing, and no identification of hidden hazards, was included in the project work scope, since most of the units were occupied and all of them were going to continue to be occupied for a decade or two thereafter.

All suspect-ACM materials were sampled for laboratory confirmation of the absence or presence of asbestos. Specific attention was given to any materials that could be disturbed by normal residential use, or might require abatement during the Air Force’s periodic renovation activities. Materials which were not deemed to be suspect for asbestos content, such as plywood or concrete, rubber or fabrics, were not sampled – in accordance with standard asbestos sampling protocols. Yet various suspect materials were sampled several times, and then again when they were observed to be present at other building floorplans. This was done to try to assure that representative samples of each ACM material were collected and convincingly shown to be (or not be) ACM from a unit within each individual floorplan. Most of the assembled data was then tabularized and complied in a manner easy to review, floorplan by floorplan.

Once the array of ACM to be managed was identified, specific programs with safe and effective O&M techniques and mandatory abatement parameters were suggested, presented as recommended written procedures for the Air Force maintenance workers, and hired renovation contractors, to follow. In order to better assure long-term resident health, some of the friable ACM identified, such as the TSI and fittings, ACM-coated metal roofing, and kitchen sink undercoatings, were selectively targeted for early abatement by indicating that they should have a higher ranking with regard to abatement priority than the other, less disturb-able or non-friable instances of ACM. (2001-2002)

 UAF Museum Hazardous Material Survey & Report, Fairbanks, Alaska

NORTECH performed a hazardous materials (HM) assessment and written report for the remodeling and addition of the UAF’s Museum Expansion. The hazardous materials assessment survey and limited abatement report focused primarily on asbestos (including roof cores) and lead content testing, but also included materials such as lead-acid batteries, mercury and related RCRA materials, radioactive materials, and possible PCB containing items that would be impacted by the addition's construction. Specialized dust sampling and analyses with TEM for asbestos structures was performed to determine if dust disturbance and entrainment would result in safety concerns for demolition workers. The locations and quantities of these HM items were ascertained and the report identified which materials would impact construction. Abatement and demolition specifications were drafted to meet applicable requirements, and the project bid successfully in early 2003.

 Reeve Aleutian Terminal HM Survey/Air Monitoring, Cold Bay, Alaska

Reeve Air Aleutian was concerned that the spray-on insulation material coating on the ceiling of their large hanger (which is attached to the passenger terminal at Cold Bay) was friable asbestos, especially since it was delaminating and falling off into the interior of the quonset building. While already present at Cold Bay (on a separate project to teach a HAZWOPER refresher class), NORTECH’s senior engineer collected bulk and air monitoring samples and after receiving the results developed an assessment report with a recommended abatement approach, and estimated overall abatement cost.

 EAFB 6 Building Hazardous Materials Survey, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska

This project gathered needed hazardous material data in preparation for the demolition of Buildings 1153, 1339, 1481, 4044, 4231, and 5216; all of which are located on Eielson Air Force Base lands. The survey of each structure was in accordance with Department of Labor's (DOL) 8 AAC 05.045 (s) (D) and was developed utilizing Industrial Hygiene hazard analysis principals. The effort strove to identify all potential environmental project hazards to workers involved in the demolition and to the general public. The inspection effort included, but was not limited to, specific consideration for asbestos, Lead Based Paint, PCBs, mercury, and radioactive sources. NORTECH also collected one composite Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) sample for each of the six buildings to identify any potential environmental hazards posed by each of the waste streams.

Asbestos Surveys

NORTECH does a large number of hazardous materials assessment surveys each year, at locations all over Alaska. With over 12 years of professional experience in this specialty, in 2002 we did 21 HM separate assessment projects that involved ACM, lead-based paints, PCBs, mercury and radioactive materials, and seven more that involved only lead assessment. The NORTECH Team has eight EPA-qualified AHERA Building Inspectors, and four EPA-qualified Lead Inspectors, more than any other company in the state. For most of these projects, we carry through with the work to develop an abatement design and prepare, then bid, the abatement work on design teams that include most of the major architectural/engineering companies that operate in Alaska.