Professional remediation of pollutants according to TRGS 519

depending on the area of application avoiding the need for sealed-off areas

Renovations and refurbishments often bring contaminated sites to light. Particularly serious is the discovery of materials that are now classified as harmful to health. These have to be professionally removed and disposed of. We are at your side for the clean-up of pollutants!

Pollutant clean-up at a glance

Removal of:

Concrete

Magnesia screeds & adhesives containing asbestos

Tar Coatings & Sealings

Asbestos, PCBs, KMF or PAHs

Use in the redevelopment of:

Industrial & Residential Buildings

Tunneling & Bunkering

Fire damage

Swimming pools

With the Comicat CM 180 Lutec, pollutant clean-up can be carried out optimally.

Why is pollutant cleanup with experts necessary?

Anyone involved in renovation or refurbishment can experience nasty surprises every now and then because some materials - especially those used in building processes between 1950 - 1990 - are now clearly defined as containing harmful substances. Examples are asbestos, PCB, KMF or PAH.

Each of these pollutant substances can cause damage to health, so it is necessary to properly remove and dispose of them. It is therefore important to use qualified personnel for this who will approach the pollutant cleanup with specialized technology and safety equipment.

Please remember: Safety always comes first. So, if you encounter pollutants during construction, be sure to contact an expert - such as us. This is the only way to ensure their safe and sensible removal.

On request, we take samples of suspect materials and have them analyzed by independent, certified laboratories. We also offer proper and environmentally sound disposal based on these analyses.

How to detect pollutants

Your building's year of construction usually already provides information about possible pollutants. This is because new buildings must always comply with the existing building biology regulations. Since many substances have been banned over time, you can usually rest easy where modern buildings are concerned. The table provides information about respective bans:

Pollutant	Use	Buildings/ Structures	Processe
Asbestos	Magnesia screeds, coatings, adhesives, sealants	Industrial, production and storage areas	1900 - 1993
asbestos-containing waterproofing	Structural waterproofing	bridges, road surfaces, drinking water tanks, sewage treatment plants	*
asbestos-containing adhesives	Floorflex panels, linoleum coverings, carpets	Residential buildings, flats, especially PVC or floorflex panels	1900 - 1995
asbestos-containing coatings	Floor, wall & ceiling coatings	Industrial, production and storage areas, parking garages	*
PAH	Floor & road coverings; joint compounds, coatings	Industrial, production and storage areas, road surfaces, car parks	1948 - 1990
PCB	Coatings, paints, joint compounds, window putties	Industrial, production and storage areas, road surfaces, coatings, car parks	1955 - 1985

If there is any uncertainty and no clear data available, an extensive building diagnosis by specialist personnel is essential. In this process, all documents are checked; sources of danger are identified visually and samples are taken and analyzed In this way, it can be determined at an early stage which measures are necessary.

The process of pollutant removal

We adhere strictly to the provisions of the Technical Rules for Hazardous Substances (TRGS 519) throughout the process. Our trained, specialist personnel always ensure that no harmful substances are released.

Usually, this work requires the complete isolation of the work area. A sealed-off area is set up, which acts as a sort of airlock, keeping pollutants under lock and key. Thanks to our special milling process and depending on the area of application, this is not always necessary.

Because our special technology enables us to keep emissions low during the process, a sealed-off area is not always necessary. We rely on removal in layers so that the amount of material to be disposed of is limited to the bare minimum.

We remove magnesia screeds containing asbestos, coatings containing PAH or oily concrete floors quickly and easily. After completion of the remediation work, the room air is checked again by a certified and approved by an independent measurement laboratory.

Two Luckei employees perform contaminant cleanup with the milling machine.

Asbestos removal

A general ban on asbestos has been in force in Germany since 1993 and asbestos products have been banned throughout the EU since 2005. However, this does not mean that you have to have every form of asbestos removed immediately.

As a general rule, if weakly bonded asbestos has been used or if it is in danger of being released into the atmosphere, professional removal is mandatory. So if you are planning renovation work, you should check whether asbestos has been used in your building. If so, plan for its removal and disposal at an early stage.

If the building was erected after 1993, you usually have nothing to worry about. Modern buildings are usually completely free of asbestos. However, if in doubt, you should always consult a specialist - after all, it's a matter of safety.

PAH & PCB remediation

Typically, the smell of tar suggests that you may have encountered so-called PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) during remediation.

Indoor sources are often floor coverings, adhesives, fillers and grouts. PAHs were frequently used in waterproofing membranes, paints and roofing membranes.

The removal of PAH is very time-consuming. This is because, in addition to the main work, there is usually a lot of accompanying work. Where PAHs have been used, other hazardous substances have often also been used.

We will gladly assess the situation for you - and take over the professional removal as well as the disposal of PAH and all other hazardous substances.