What does Health Canada say about undisturbed older materials in Ottawa homes?

Health Canada's position is that materials containing asbestos that are left undisturbed, isolated in an attic, sealed behind walls and floorboards, or tightly bound in products in good condition carry no significant health risks. The concern arises when those materials are disturbed, for example by cutting, sanding or scraping during a renovation.

Health Canada identifies a range of older materials that may contain asbestos. The list includes cement and plaster, floor and ceiling tiles, and surface treatments such as paint, putty, drywall, caulking, sealants and spackling. If the house was built before 1990, any of those materials could be present.

The advice Health Canada gives for renovation or remodelling work is direct: hire a professional to test before anyone starts cutting or scraping. If a professional finds asbestos, the next step is a qualified asbestos removal specialist. That work belongs to ottawaabatement.com, not a drywall contractor.

One thing is worth keeping clear. Health Canada does not say a house built after any particular year is free of asbestos-containing materials, and it does not say whether any material in a specific house contains asbestos. The only way to know is a test.

So for an older Ottawa home where the drywall, compound, tiles or any surface treatment will stay completely undisturbed, Health Canada's guidance is that the risk is not significant. The moment renovation work is planned that would cut, sand or scrape those materials, a professional test comes first.

When you have two written quotes in front of you, set them side by side and check that each one names exactly what is being removed and what replaces it, specifies the board by thickness and type, states the finish level by number, and says plainly whether primer and paint are included in the price or are separate.