Asbestos is found in many old buildings and poses an enormous health risk during demolition or dismantling. Professional asbestos and pollutant remediation is essential to protect people and the environment and ensure safe general renovation. PORR Umwelttechnik has the necessary expertise and guarantees the highest safety standards thanks to its many years of experience in pollutant removal and its trained specialist staff.
The danger of asbestos lies in the release of respirable fibres, which occurs when the building material is subjected to mechanical impact, such as during demolition, maintenance and renovation work. Without appropriate protective measures, this can lead to a high release of up to 1 million asbestos fibres/m³, whereby a single fibre can cause cancer. Inhaled asbestos fibres cannot be broken down or excreted by the body, leading to inflammation and serious illness.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral that was often used in construction in the past due to its various positive technical properties – high tensile strength, heat resistance, chemical resistance and insulating capacity – as well as its low cost. Its uses ranged from the manufacture of roofing, facade and insulation panels to floor coverings and seals, and even as an additive in cement, paints, fillers, joint compounds and adhesives to improve consistency and adhesion. This means that some building materials can be declared as containing asbestos simply by looking at them, while others require detailed analysis using a scanning electron microscope.
Between 1950 and 1990, around 870,000 tonnes of asbestos were used in construction in Austria. Much of this is still being gradually removed and remediated today. PORR Umwelttechnik has set itself the task of reducing this amount every year. The safety of everyone involved and the environment is our top priority in every project. Without exception, our specialists are equipped with full-body protective suits, respiratory masks with particle filters, gloves and boots. Each remediation project is planned precisely according to local conditions and carried out in sealed-off areas with state-of-the-art filter systems and personnel airlocks, and concluded with a thorough cleaning. Once the measurements have been checked, the area can be entered without risk for further construction work.
In addition to the professional remediation and disposal of asbestos, PORR Umwelttechnik also decontaminates rooms contaminated with PAHs, PCBs, KMF, lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium and many other toxic substances – for private individuals, companies and public authorities throughout Austria.