The Most Expensive Misunderstanding in Building Management

The word "abatement" gets thrown around constantly in the asbestos world and almost always with the wrong meaning attached to it.

From my experience, I've watched building owners spend tens of thousands sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars on full-blown asbestos removal when in-place management was not only acceptable, it was the far superior abatement option.

The misconception is almost always the same: they believed "abatement" meant "removal," and no one corrected them.

It seems to me that this misunderstanding has been one of the most costly and most preventable mistakes in the history of building management.

And the construction and remediation industries haven't done nearly enough to clear it up.

If anything, full removal and replacement has been actively promoted by those who profit from it, while in-place management equally legal, equally effective, and dramatically less expensive gets dismissed or ignored.

What Abatement Actually Means By Definition

​​Let's go back to basics. The dictionary definition of abatement is clear and unambiguous:

"Abatement: A decrease in amount, intensity, or degree. A reduction or lessening of something.":

In the context of asbestos, abatement means one thing: decrease exposure.

That is the legal and regulatory objective not removal, not destruction, not replacement.

Decrease exposure.

And there are several legitimate, EPA-recognized methods for achieving exactly that:

•Cover over
•Seal in
•Cut back
•Remove

Removal is one option on that list not the only option, and in many real-world situations, not even the best one.

​​It seems to me that building owners deserve to know this before anyone hands them a removal contract

KEY FACT

​The EPA recognizes that in-place management of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) is often the preferred approach when the material is in good condition and not likely to be disturbed. Removal is not mandated simply because asbestos is present.

The Legal Reality: No Law Requires You to Remove Asbestos

This is where it gets critically important and where I've had to educate more clients than I can count.

There is no federal law, no EPA regulation, and no OSHA mandate that requires a building owner to remove asbestos simply because it is present in their building.

What the law requires is that asbestos not be allowed to become airborne and create exposure risk.

That is a critical distinction.

The EPA's own guidance on asbestos in buildings supports in-place management as a legitimate and often preferred strategy.

When asbestos-containing materials are in good condition and unlikely to be disturbed, leaving them in place and managing them is not only legal it is frequently the recommended course of action.

​​Disturbing intact asbestos during removal is often far more dangerous than leaving it properly managed in place

"There is no law that says if you have asbestos in your building you must remove it -- and in many cases, leaving it properly managed in place is the safer, smarter choice."

Asbestos Abatement by Green ENCASEMENT Coatings -- The Proven Solution

This is where Green ENCASEMENT Coatings come in -- and this is where the real conversation should start for every building owner dealing with asbestos.

Green ENCASEMENT Coatings provide legitimate asbestos abatement by encasement.

Not by removal.

By encasement sealing in and covering over the hazardous material, cutting exposure, and fully satisfying every meaningful legal and regulatory definition of abatement.

From my experience, asbestos abatement by encasement is the approach that makes sense in the overwhelming majority of cases.

And here's what it delivers that removal simply cannot:

•Cost savings of up to 75% compared to full removal and replacement

•No building downtime -- occupants and operations continue uninterrupted

•No production loss of any kind

•Non-invasive, non-destructive application process

•No costly disposal of hazardous asbestos waste

•No demolition and replacement of removed materials

•Zero VOCs -- water-based, non-toxic, and biodegradable

•Class A Fire Rated for maximum safety compliance

•LEED-eligible for green building certification programs

​•20-year renewable warranty cycles for decades of documented protection

KEY FACT

​Up to 75% cost savings vs. removal. Zero VOCs. Non-invasive. Non-destructive. No downtime. No waste disposal. 20-year renewable warranty. Applied successfully on five continents.

Why Removal Is Often the Wrong Choice

From my experience, the push toward removal frequently creates more problems than it solves.

When you remove asbestos-containing materials especially from older buildings you are disturbing materials that might otherwise sit safely in place for decades.

Disturbance is exactly what creates exposure risk.

The removal process itself, if not perfectly contained, can release fibers into the air and create the very hazard it claims to address.

Beyond the exposure risk, removal carries enormous costs and consequences that in-place management with Green ENCASEMENT Coatings simply does not:

•Massive disruption to building occupants and daily operations

•Extended project timelines days, weeks, sometimes months of lost productivity

•High contractor costs for abatement crews, air monitoring, and containment

•Expensive hazardous waste transport, handling, and landfill disposal

•Significant environmental burden and carbon footprint from demolition

•Structural damage to surrounding building systems that must then be repaired or replaced

•Replacement costs for materials that would have been perfectly serviceable if managed in place

It seems to me that building owners deserve to understand all of this before they sign a removal contract.

Removal has its place in cases of severely damaged or friable materials that cannot be safely managed in place.

But that is the exception, not the rule.

​​The default assumption that removal is always the answer is wrong and it is costing building owners a fortune.

"Encasement locks the hazard in. Removal risks releasing it and the costs don't stop at the contractor's bill."

Proven. Accepted. Trusted Across Five Continents.

Green ENCASEMENT Coatings are not a new idea or an untested alternative.

In my 50+ years in this industry, I've seen these coatings applied successfully on five continents in government buildings, military installations, Fortune 500 facilities, schools, and critical infrastructure projects around the world.

This is a proven, widely accepted form of asbestos abatement, backed by decades of documented results.

The track record speaks for itself:

•NYC World Trade Center 500,000 square feet of asbestos encasement

•US Government GSA Worldwide Service Contract held for 20 years Government buildings and military installations across the world

•DOD installations including Kadena Air Base, Washington, Brooklyn and Philadelphia Navy Yards, Eglin AFB, Sandia National Labs, Yongsan Army Garrison Seoul, and DoDDS schools Okinawa

•USS Carney and USS Mason destroyers US Navy warship encasement

•Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant expert consultation and delivery of multiple containers (over 7,000 gallons) of Green ENCASEMENT Coatings product

•Smithsonian Institution, US Merchant Marine Academy, Savannah River Site

•Projects across the US, UK, Canada, Japan, Ghana, India, Philippines, and South Korea

These are not experiments.

These are proven, validated deployments on some of the most demanding, high-stakes projects in the world.

When the US military, the federal government, and the world's most demanding facility managers trust Green ENCASEMENT Coatings to manage their challenges, that's not a coincidence that's a track record.

The Bottom Line: Abatement Means Decrease Exposure  and Encasement Does Exactly That

In my 50+ years in this industry, I've come to believe that the most powerful thing I can do for a building owner is give them the correct information before they make an irreversible and often unnecessarily expensive decision.

Asbestos abatement does not mean asbestos removal.

It means reducing exposure.

And Green ENCASEMENT Coatings accomplish that completely, cost-effectively, and without the disruption, the waste, or the environmental damage that removal creates.

If you have asbestos in your building, you have options.

Real options.

Legally recognized options that will protect your occupants, preserve your building, and save you a significant amount of money.

It seems to me that the right first call is not to a removal contractor it's to someone who can show you all the paths forward.

​That's what I've been doing for over five decades and over 30 years at Global ENCASEMENT, Inc., and it's what Green ENCASEMENT Coatings were built to deliver. Learn more at encasementguy.com.

Ready to Stop Paying for Removal You Don't Need?

Green ENCASEMENT Coatings deliver legitimate asbestos abatement faster, safer, and at a fraction of the cost of removal. Let's talk about what in-place management can do for your building.

Visit encasement.com to Learn More
​​Contact George C. Keefe - The ENCASEMENT Guy

DISCLAIMER

The information provided in this article is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, regulatory, or professional engineering advice.

Asbestos regulations vary by jurisdiction, building type, and material condition. Always consult a qualified asbestos professional, industrial hygienist, and relevant regulatory authorities before making decisions regarding asbestos-containing materials in your building.

Global ENCASEMENT, Inc. and George C. Keefe make no warranty, express or implied, regarding the completeness or applicability of this information to any specific situation.

References & Further Reading

1. U.S. EPA Asbestos In Your Home: Managing Asbestos In-Place
2. U.S. EPA National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP): Asbestos
3. U.S. OSHA Asbestos Standards for General Industry
4. Global ENCASEMENT, Inc.  Green ENCASEMENT Coatings
​5. The ENCASEMENT Guy George C. Keefe