If you are a building owner, restaurant chain or retailer performing tenant improvements, renovations or demolition projects, you should care. Although the asbestos buzz may have fizzled out in the late 1980s, many building owners and retailers are under the impression that asbestos has been banned for years. Not true.

Asbestos is not just a notorious building material whose use peaked in the 1940s.  In spite of its well-documented carcinogenic properties, asbestos is still alive and well today. The following commercial product categories can be manufactured, imported and sold in the U.S.: asbestos-cement corrugated sheet, asbestos-cement flat sheet, asbestos clothing, pipeline wrap, roofing felt, vinyl-asbestos floor tile, asbestos-cement shingle, millboard, asbestos-cement pipe, automatic transmission components, clutch facings, friction materials, disc brake pads, drum brake linings, brake blocks, gaskets, non-roofing coatings, and roof coatings. Much of the asbestos used in the U.S. is imported from Canada and Mexico. Many imported asbestos products may not be labeled “asbestos” but rather as “asbestos-cement”, “cellulose fiber-cement”, or “contains chrysotile fibers.”

I work with a lot of restaurants and retailers, many of which are rebranding and renovating their locations with new interior designs to “freshen-up” or “modernize” their brands in order to compete. So why should they care?

The EPA National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) regulations require building owners or operators to inspect buildings for asbestos prior to certain renovations and all demolitions, regardless of the date of construction.  Additionally, many states and municipalities have similar mandates.  The only way to be sure is to have asbestos sampling done; a visual inspection will not cut it.

Some building owners practice crisis management, acting under the exigencies of the moment. Companies thinking this is a realistic option are opening themselves up to potential liability. The likelihood that a company can escape from complying with the asbestos regulations is more doubtful than ever. In short, as a building owner or operator, it is your responsibility to protect yourself, your employees, contractors and customers from asbestos hazards.  A focused asbestos survey prior to any renovation or demolition activities should represent a cost-effective asset instead of a liability.