RRP Industry Uses Abatement Plastic

Global Plastic Sheeting recommends 6 mil Abatement Plastic for use in the RRP industry.  Abatement Plastic has been a popular product for years in asbestos abatement, lead abatement, mold abatement, and has moved into the lead abatement industry with the passing of the EPA’s 2010 Lead Law, called the 2010 RRP Law in the industry, which stands for Renovate, Repair & Paint.

What makes this product unique is the fact that it is self-adhesive, so adheres to the surfaces it is protecting.  Not only does this significantly improve worker safety over working on slippery plastic that is taped in place, but this plastic helps during cleanup also.  If one uses a little care when removing this film from the jobsite, it is easy to roll all of the dirt, debris, lead dust, etc. into the material such that the adhesive system captures and holds it in place for disposal.  If two layers are used, one on top of the other, where the top layer is removed along with all contaminants, this greatly speeds the cleanup process (this is standard practice in the asbestos industry).

Abatement Plastic is standard in clear, and is available in Fire Retardant, passing the NFPA 701-04 Test 1 Fire Standard.  Two adhesive systems are standard: Low and Medium.  Low is generally used on hard surface flooring, glass, stone and tile, factory finished hardwood (in excellent condition only), countertops, and other hard, non-porous relatively smooth surfaces.  Medium is strong enough to securely hold the plastic protection in place over carpeting, on painted walls, masonry, block, and many other surfaces. 

Contractors benefit in several ways by using Abatement Plastic:

1)      Fast installation saves time & money- NO taping is required

2)      Quick, clean removal, plus adhesive system captures dust, dirt, debris

3)      Increased worker safety on jobsite, lowers chances of slipping or tripping

4)      Water from cleanup and wet-sanding will not flow under the adhered film-contains contamination far better than taped in place coverings

5)      Homeowners are impressed with quality of containment and cleanliness of jobsite- more likely to give rave reviews and refer you to their friends

6)      HEPA vacuuming jobsite is much easier with film adhered to the flooring surface, and more effective

 

Try Abatement Plastic on your next project to enjoy the time and money savings that come with using these products

* Please note that customers must determine if the adhesive is suitable for the surfaces being covered. 

RRP Market's Favorite Products

ASFR-6 and Zipwall make a Positive Impact in RRP Market

Global Plastic Sheeting’s ASFR-6 Anti-Static, Fire Retardant 6 mil Poly Sheeting saves contractors time, money and headaches during Lead Paint Abatement. This unique film does not attract Dust & Dirt like normal poly sheeting (aka Visqueen). This feature saves significant time on RRP job sites (EPA 2010 Lead Law, Renovate, Repair, Paint). When used with the Zipwall pole and jack system to make containments, contractors can set up containments in minutes, without ever getting on a ladder! Zipwall poles are incredibly easy to use: simply clamp the plastic sheeting between the plates on top of the pole, stand the pole up until solidly against the ceiling, putting pressure on the spring loaded jack, twist the pole sections to lock in place, and pull the plastic under the bottom foot. Zipwall now offers two different versions of their product, their longstanding commercial version, and a new budget version that is significantly lower cost. Both are excellent tools for the RRP contractor, and will save tons of time and money over the life of the product. When using these products with each other, contractors present an image showing they care about the customer and their safety. This is a very professional looking containment, which impresses customers. Impressed customers tell other people, and contractors get referrals.

Plastic Sheeting for Dry Docks and New Building of Ships and Yachts

Plastic Sheeting is popular during dry docks and  new building of ships and yachts for several reasons.

In many parts of the USA, and around the world, a huge focus on preserving our environment and our workplace is taking place.  Industrial worksites, such as shipyards are getting a lot of scrutiny from authorities, who are vigilant about what happens in these facilities, as they are almost all on or very near coastal waters.

Plastic Sheeting, often in the form of Fire Retardant Heat Shrink Wrap is very popular for use in making enclosures to contain particulates within a given work area, as is often the case with a drydock.  Large tarps of many kinds are also used in many cases.

On a smaller scale, many surfaces need to be protected during the building and refitting stages.  The materials used for this purpose include such products as ASFR-6, DeckProtek 14 and 30, No-Adhesive Self-Adhesive (NASA) Plastics, 3-20mil, Fire Retardant Tapes, Fire Retardant Carpet Plastic, and the list goes on.  Those working on the dry docks and new builds have found surface protection to be an incredible time and cost saving measure that is used on virtually every job today.  Companies like Global Plastic Sheeting have worked hand in hand developing products designed to perform well in these applications, and continue to work on new and innovative solutions to save the shipyards time and money on their projects.

Most dry docks and new building requires painting and usually stripping operations.  During the blasting operations to remove old paint/coatings, the areas are or should be contained.  Scaffolding is often erected, and covered to contain these areas.  When it is time for paint or coatings, again the areas are usually contained, unless the shipyard has paint booths.  Many areas require masking during these operations, and large amounts of plastic sheeting and tape are usually used for this purpose.  Much of this product today is made Fire Retardant, so the plastic sheeting would not contribute as a fuel source in the event of a fire.  We highly recommend using Fire Retardant plastics for all operations around ships, especially if the ship’s fire fighting systems are disabled or not installed while work is being completed.

For more information on specialized products designed for use on, in or around ships and yachts, please contact: Global Plastic Sheeting, 760-597-9298.  Ask for the Marine Division.

10 uses for 12 mil Polyethylene Sheeting

You have heard of 12 mil polyethylene sheeting, but what are its uses? It depends if you are looking at a scrim (string) reinforced liner, or plain Construction and Agricultural grade plastic.

For the purposes of this article, let us look at a heavy-duty scrim reinforced, tear resistant, high strength virgin polyethylene film.  As you may have read from our prior article (Is your resin a virgin- should you care?), virgin resin is what you want to do the following jobs well. If you are going to use this 12 mil liner as a vapor retarder, then you want a liner that meets or exceeds ASTM E-1745 Class “C” standard. This standard is for water vapor retarders that are used in contact with soil or granular fill under concrete slabs. In some of the jobs mentioned below, this 12 mil plastic sheeting will be exposed to outdoor elements. For that reason you will want a liner that contains UV additives and thermal stabilizers.

Great uses for a 12 mil Scrim Reinforced Polyethylene are:

Crawlspace and Basement liners: Protects the interior or your home from moisture migration

Cargo Coverings:  For covering cargo on a truck, on a train or on Ships.

Pond and Pit Liners: Our 12 mil liners are guaranteed fish and plant safe, and available in very large sheets, with factory certified seams.

Temporary Earthen Liners : Excellent for most short-term lining applications

Temporary Rainshed Covers: special long-term version can be used for terms as long as 4+ years

Landfill Covers: Both daily and interim lands fill covers will benefit from the strength of the scrim reinforcement.  Long-term special version lasts 4+ years in fully exposed conditions.

Temporary Erosion Control- Control watershed with this heavy duty reinforced film.  Holds up well in the elements, because of UV inhibitors and thermal stabilizers

Remediation Liners or Covers: Depending on contaminants and levels of contamination, this can be a very cost effective liner and covering material for soil remediation.

Divider Curtains: Available in many widths and lengths, this film makes for an excellent divider curtain.  Also see Dura Skrim 2FR, 10FR, Poly Scrim 6FR, 8FR, 10FR, and 14FR if fire retardant curtains are needed.

Vapor Retarders for under slabs and in walls: often used as a vapor/moisture retarder underslab and within wall structures, both, commercially and residentially. 

Where Does Radon Come from?

 

According to the US EPA,  Radon comes from the decay of Uranium-238 as part of the decay chain. 

As the earth's crust was formed, Uranium was distributed within it. Thus radon is a natually occurring radioactive gas that is produced by the breakdown of uranium in rock, soil and water.  Given the age of the earth, uranium's slowly progressing decay chain now commonly produces radon-222 . The biggest health problems arethat radon is raioactive, and it is a gas. As a gas it can seep through foundations into homes (particularly basements), and accumulate into fairly high concentrations. It is drawn into homes because the air pressure inside your home is usually lower than the pressure in the soil around your home's foundation.  Due to this pressure difference, your home acts like a vacuum, draging radon in through any foundation cracks, or other openings. In the United States, radon gas in soils is the principal source of elevated radon levels in homes. Radon decay emits alpha particles, the radiation that presents the greatest hazard to lung tissue. Since radon had a very short half-life (3.8 days) that means that it emits alpha particles at a high rate.  Radon is estimated to cause many thousands of lung cancer deaths each year. In fact, the Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.

Please check out http://www.epa.gov/rpdweb00/understand/chain.html for more detailed information.

According to the US EPA,  Radon comes from the decay of Uranium-238 as part of the decay chain. 

As the earth's crust was formed, Uranium was distributed within it. Thus radon is a natually occurring radioactive gas that is produced by the breakdown of uranium in rock, soil and water.  Given the age of the earth, uranium's slowly progressing decay chain now commonly produces radon-222 . The biggest health problems arethat radon is raioactive, and it is a gas. As a gas it can seep through foundations into homes (particularly basements), and accumulate into fairly high concentrations. It is drawn into homes because the air pressure inside your home is usually lower than the pressure in the soil around your home's foundation.  Due to this pressure difference, your home acts like a vacuum, draging radon in through any foundation cracks, or other openings. In the United States, radon gas in soils is the principal source of elevated radon levels in homes. Radon decay emits alpha particles, the radiation that presents the greatest hazard to lung tissue. Since radon had a very short half-life (3.8 days) that means that it emits alpha particles at a high rate.  Radon is estimated to cause many thousands of lung cancer deaths each year. In fact, the Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.

Please check out http://www.epa.gov/rpdweb00/understand/chain.html for more detailed information.

Where did Radon gas come from?

  

Did you know that Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer? Maybe that explains why so many who don't smoke have lung cancer! If you smoke and have radon in your home, your odds are even worse for contracting lung cancer. Radon is a cancer-causing radioactive gas. You cannot see, smell or taste radon, yet it might be found in your home. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and the Surgeon General's Office have estimated that as many as 20,000 lung cancer deaths are caused by radon each year. Radon-induced lung cancer costs the United States over $2 billion dollars per year in health care costs.

According to the US EPA, nearly 1 in 3 homes checked in seven states and on three Indian lands had screening levels over 4 pCi/L, the EPA's recommended action level for radon exposure.

A family whose home has radon levels of 4 pCi/l is exposed to approximately 35 times as much radiation as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would allow if that family was standing next to the fence of a radioactive waste site. (25 mrem limit, 800 mrem exposure)

Another shocking statistic : An elementary school student that spends 8 hours per day and 180 days per year in a classroom with 4 pCi/l of radon will receive nearly 10 times as much radiation as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission allows at the edge of a nuclear power plant.(25 mrem limit, 200 mrem exposure)  Most scientists agree that the risk of death for radon at 4 pCi/l is approximately 1 in 100. At the 4 pCi/l EPA action guideline level, radon carries approximately 1000 times the risk of death as any other EPA carcinogen. It is important to note that there are no "safe" levels of radon gas.

What can you do to stop radon gas from entering your home? Properly installed VaporBlock 20 plus will block virtually all radon gas from entering your living space whether installed underslab, in a crawl space or a basement.

 

ASTM E-84 or NFPA 701-04 Test 1 or 2- What's the difference?

ASTM E-84 measures the flame spread and smoke index, which are considered the surface burning characteristics of a material.  Depending on the numbers, materials can have classifications of Class A, B, or C according to NFPA , ANSI/NFPA No. 101, "life Safety Code" , 2006 Edition, or IBC (International Building Code), 2006 Edition, Chapter 8, Interior Finishes, Section 803,  if they pass any level of this standard.  The test is conducted in a fire tunnel using a 22" x 24' sample of the material.  The ignition source is 7 seconds in duration, total test is 10 minutes.  The flame front cannot exceed 24" during the test.  Results are expressed as Flame Spread Index, and Smoke Developed Value.  Following are the criteria for each level of this test, regardless of whether NFPA or IBC.

Class A, Flame Spread 1-25, Smoke Developed Less than or equal to 450

Class B, Flame Spread 26-75, Smoke Developed Less than or equal to 450

Class C, Flame Spread 76-200, Smoke Developed Less than or equal to 450.

Please note, this test is comparable to UL 723, ANSI/NFPA No 255, and UBC No. 8-1

NFPA 701-04 Test 1 or 2 (the most recent revision of the NFPA 701) measures the mass before test, mass after test, mass loss percentage, the number of seconds of any burning drips, and the after flame of the material in seconds during and after a specified burn period at a specified flame temperature.  Once the flame is extinguished the after flame in seconds is measured.  10 samples are tested, 5 in the machine direction, 5 in the cross direction (also known as warp/weft respectively).  This test is a Pass/Fail test based on the following criteria.  If the material fails any of the following criteria, it fails the test

Mass Loss: 40% Max Average or Average + 3 standard Deviations Max Individual

Drip Burn/Afterflame: 2 seconds Max. Avg. 

For products that pass these criteria,click here

Plastic Identification Codes for Recycling

All over the world, many types of plastic is commonly used. Plastic has been given a numbering category or identification code for the different types so it can be sorted accordingly. Each type of plastic melts at a different temperature and displays different properties. The identification system divides plastic into seven distinct types and uses a number code generally found on the bottom of containers. The following table explains the seven code system.

Plastic #1: Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE)
Common uses:Cooking oil bottles, 2 liter soda bottles, peanut butter jars. This is the most widely recycled plastic and often has redemption value.

Plastic #2: High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
Common uses: Heavy duty liners, detergent bottles, milk jugs, Heavy Duty HDPE Polyethylene plastic sheeting. Check out, The Recycler's Exchange for more information.

Plastic #3: Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
Common uses: shrink wrap, salad dressing containers,plastic pipes, outdoor furniture, water bottles, and liquid detergent containers. 

Plastic #4: Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
Common uses:Plastic Sheeting used in construction, trash can liners, dry cleaning bags, produce bags, food storage containers.

Plastic #5: Polypropylene (PP)
Common uses:Open top containers (sour cream, yogurt) bottle caps, drinking straws. Recycling centers almost never take #5 plastic.

Plastic #6: Polystyrene (PS)
Common uses:To-go "clam shell" containers, packaging pellets or "Styrofoam peanuts," cups, plastic tableware, and meat trays,. Many shipping/packaging stores will accept polystyrene peanuts and other packaging materials for reuse. Cups, meat trays, and other containers that have come in contact with food are more difficult to recycle. If you have large quantities call the Eco-Desk hot line at 707-565-3375.

Plastic #7: Other
Common uses:This is the category for any plastic that does not fall under the #1-#6. This may include certain kinds of food containers and Tupperware.  Recycling centers cannot recycle plastic #7. Look for alternatives.

 

2010 Lead Law goes into effect today, April 22, 2010

The EPA's Nationwide Lead Law officially takes effect today for work performed on any structure built before 1978 where children age 6 and under are cared for.  Many may believe this only includes homes, but it also includes such places as day care centers, schools, medical facilities and many others where children could be exposed to the health hazards of lead-based paint which has been disturbed.  The Federal Law requires that all contractors who will be disturbing more than 6 square feet of interior lead-based paint, or 20 square feet of exterior lead-based paint, must be certified in Lead-Safe Practices.  This is based on the total amount of work done in any continuous 30 day period, even if 2 square feet is done in a 5 day period in one interior area, and 4 square feet in another area a week later.

Contractors can face significant Federal Fines if this law is not followed.  Several States have already enacted State Laws which are more stringent than the Federal Laws, so contractors should check on this possibility also to make sure they are compliant with the State Laws.

We believe that homeowner awareness is also very important, because children can suffer permanent severe damage from lead-poisoning.  While the risks are less for older children and adults, there are still risks, especially for certain individuals.

This law is an important step in the right direction toward protecting our children from environmental hazards, which can have such devastating effects on them.

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Plastic Sheeting Helps For Disaster Relief

Plastic Sheeting has been in demand to help out with temporary shelters around the world for years. When countries are ravaged by earthquakes, floods, fires and tsunamis, relief organizations reach for plastic sheeting. A variety of plastic sheeting types can be used depending on the elements.

String/scrim reinforced plastic is popular because some varieties can be hemmed and grommets can be added to create a tarp that can be held in place. The scrim keeps any tears from spreading to any degree. This is helpful where wind is prevelant. Plastic sheeting with UV protection will hold up from sun exposure. The key is to consider the elements, and calculate the length of time this sheeting could be left in place.