Asbestos abatement has a storied (some would say infamous) U.S. history dating back to the 1960s when exposure started getting wide- spread attention; the 1970s with the first guidelines to reduce exposure; and then the 1980s with the first laws regulating asbestos. Although mining and manufacture of the six types of asbestos minerals was sharply curtailed in the U.S., there is still no asbestos ban in effect. While the import of asbestos products continues to be legal and thrive, efforts to remove it from homes and buildings have been ongoing for decades. The widespread perception that asbestos use stopped is a ripple effect from the explosive growth and then con- traction of the early abatement industry. Through the late 1980s, much of the attention surrounding asbestos focused on abatement, which involves encapsulating or removing asbestos from existing buildings. Over the years, asbestos abatement has been relegated down the priority list of bolt-on business opportunities for restoration contractors, largely because of the training required, licensing bureaucracy, and additional insurance. Uneven regulatory enforcement during the ‘00s and ‘10s, and more recently deferred renovation projects, plus labor and supply challenges during the pandemic have caused the abatement industry to arguably remain flat or even temporarily contract.
