Better Late Than Never...I'll start by saying that in the history of positive reviews being long…read moreoverdue, this one should take the cake. Once upon a time (some 5 years ago) in the attic of a house in Southern California, asbestos contamination reared its ugly head - thus beginning our abatement saga.
It all began one day with an innocuous visit from an AC company. The service person went into the attic for a routine inspection of the unit, and came down with the surprising announcement of having found a crushed air duct. This report was concerning since the old ducts were in some measure, comprised of asbestos material. Apparently, a worker in the past must have stepped on the duct and decided not to report the damage to us. Consequently, there's no telling how long potentially contaminated air was being blown through a compromised duct, exposing us to asbestos fibers. We were advised to not use the unit, and immediately contact an asbestos abatement company to remove the crushed duct. I'd seen and heard reports of people dealing with the nightmare of asbestos contamination, but now it was our turn. So what to do, where to start? The AC rep suggested a friend of his who ran an abatement company (which shall remain nameless), so I gave them a call, and spoke at length with a high-ranking person at the company, who assured me his team would do a professional and careful job of removing the damaged duct, along with replacing the other old ducts as well. Being wary of the risk of things going wrong, I hired a plumber I trusted (who'd previously re-piped the house) to be in the attic and videotape the abatement procedure. About a half an hour in, the plumber came down with an alarming report that the workers were failing to thoroughly wet down the ducts before crushing them and were recklessly stuffing them into plastic bags - causing plumes of dust and fibers to fill the attic space. He advised me to immediately cancel the "abatement" and hire an independent asbestos inspector to determine the extent of widespread contamination of not only the attic, but the master bedroom below - in which the "clean room" was set up. As we reviewed the video tape together, it was obvious the whole procedure was being improperly run. Where there should've been at least two clean room chambers, there was only one. Also, it was a windy day, and the crew had left the front door open, along with a window in the master bedroom, in which the clean room was set up - thereby allowing uncontrolled currents of air into the house during the abatement procedure.
I called the company owner and told him my concerns about how the operation was being run, and that I wanted the procedure to stop immediately. The next week, I hired an independent company to take test samples in the attic and master bedroom - and the results were concerning. Not only did the inspector find asbestos fibers in the dust that now coated all the attic beams, he actually found a coal-sized chunk or two of asbestos on top of the furnace cabinet grate. After I provided the positive test results to the negligent abatement company, they refused to accept liability - even though I had irrefutable proof of their negligence on video tape. Had I wanted to take them to court, it would likely have been an open and shut case, since not only did I have an eyewitness with the plumber in the attic, but more importantly, a "see it with your own eyes" witness in the video he shot. But since I was dealing with an aging parent on hospice care, my main objective was just to make the house safe again as soon as possible, and avoid simultaneously dealing with the double-nightmare of litigation.
Enter Fresh Air to the rescue! My first contact with the company was Erin McConnell. She listened patiently and responded with empathy, as I gave her the details of the nasty situation we were dealing with. I mentioned to her of having earlier contacted an independent remediation specialist, named Frank (whom Erin had worked with before), and she assured me of his professionalism in overseeing a Procedure Five abatement operation. Frank took samples in the attic and elsewhere in the house, to determine the degree of contamination. He said we'd need to evacuate the premises for two weeks while the abatement was taking place. He took air and surface samples to monitor progress of the abatement and reported the results to me each day. Though there were some setbacks, I credit Erin - with her pleasant and assuring demeanor, for keeping things on track and for mediating to completion, a successful abatement procedure - they just don't come any nicer than Erin McConnell - or companies more professional, than Fresh Air. So if you find yourself dealing with your own personal nightmare involving some nefarious form of contamination - be it asbestos, mold or whatever - then I highly recommend reaching out to the good folks at Fresh Air to help make your living space safe again.
