Asbestos vermiculite attic
Having my asbestos vermiculite insulation abated this week and getting very mixed messages on PCM and TEM. I am in a 1950s ranch and confirmed insulation from the Libby mine.
My question is-
I am being told that PCM is what 99% of people do for clearance but TEM is what I should do if I really want to test. We don’t have a bid to encapsulate or to hepa vacuum of wipe down interior after containment area and removal. The contractor said he has never failed a test before and we don’t have a standard air sample of what it was before, and it’s technically not required to pass an air test in our state, so there wasn’t really an extension to make sure we “pass”. Since we are staying somewhere else right now (going on 4 days) and the test result initially takes 4 more days, it’s a significant cost and may put us out of our home even longer if we fail. Long story short, I guess I would be calling another abatement contractor to “finish the job” if this fails. Do I just bite the bullet and pay the $1600 plus 4 days of lodging to get the initial test knowing that it will be another $1600 to retest if we fail and also more lodging and redoing? I guess what I’m asking is; if the PCM passes, is that clearance enough to be safe or should we really bear the extra expense? I’m not sure of the level of safety of forgoing the test.
TLDR: do I spend the money on TEM to find out it may be another 3k plus and a lot of time retesting (and finding a new contractor) that will take care of potential failing air quality. What would you do?
TIA.