What We Mean by Biohazards and Why They’re Often Overlooked When we talk with property owners about environmental risks, many are surprised to learn how broad the term “biohazard” really is. Biohazards include any biological materials that can pose a risk to human health. This can involve bodily fluids, blood, animal waste, drug residues, and contamination left behind after events such as hoarding situations, unattended deaths, crime scenes, or illicit drug activity. Unlike mold or asbestos, biohazards are not always visible. A property can look clean on the surface while still containing harmful contaminants that require professional cleanup. Drug labs,

Why Removal Alone Isn’t the Final Step When mold or asbestos is discovered in a home or building, most property owners focus on one thing: getting it removed as quickly as possible. While removal is a critical step, it’s only part of the process. What often gets overlooked is what happens after remediation is complete. The question we encourage clients to ask is simple—how do you know the space is truly safe to use again? Even after professional mold or asbestos removal, indoor air quality can still be affected. Microscopic mold spores, asbestos fibres, or construction dust can remain suspended

Understanding the Hidden Risks During Renovations Renovating an older home or commercial space in Central Alberta can be an exciting project, but before you start tearing down walls or replacing flooring, it’s important to think about what’s behind those materials. Many properties built before the 1990s still contain asbestos, a once-popular construction material that was valued for its heat resistance and durability. Unfortunately, asbestos fibres are extremely hazardous when disturbed. When these tiny fibres are released into the air and inhaled, they can cause serious and long-term health problems such as asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. The danger comes from

Understanding Why Mold Is Becoming More Common Indoors Alberta’s weather has always been unpredictable—cold winters, humid summers, and wide temperature swings that can happen overnight. While these extremes are nothing new, the way we build and insulate our homes has changed dramatically in recent years. Tighter, energy-efficient construction helps conserve heat, but it can also trap moisture indoors. When combined with Alberta’s variable climate, this creates the perfect conditions for mold to grow. Mold spores are everywhere, but they only become a problem when they find moisture and a suitable surface to grow on. In modern homes, this can happen

Understanding the Hidden Risks During Renovations Renovating an older home or commercial space in Central Alberta can be an exciting project, but before you start tearing down walls or replacing flooring, it’s important to think about what’s behind those materials. Many properties built before the 1990s still contain asbestos, a once-popular construction material that was valued for its heat resistance and durability. Unfortunately, asbestos fibres are extremely hazardous when disturbed. When these tiny fibres are released into the air and inhaled, they can cause serious and long-term health problems such as asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. The danger comes from

Where Asbestos Might Be Hiding in Your Home Many Alberta homeowners assume asbestos is a problem of the past, but it’s still present in thousands of older homes and buildings across the province. From Red Deer to Calgary, homes built before the 1990s often contain asbestos in materials that look perfectly ordinary. Because these fibres are microscopic and mixed into building components, you can’t tell if something contains asbestos just by looking at it. Common sources include insulation, vinyl flooring, ceiling texture, drywall compound, and old pipe wrap. Vermiculite insulation, for example, was widely used in attics for its fire

When most people think about air quality in industrial environments, their minds go straight to respirable dust—the tiny particles that can make their way deep into the lungs. But there’s another side to the story that often goes unnoticed: Total Particulate Matter (TPM). Understanding and managing TPM is essential to maintaining a safe, compliant, and efficient workplace, especially in Alberta’s diverse industrial sectors, from manufacturing to energy production. What is Total Particulate Matter? Total Particulate Matter refers to all solid and liquid airborne particles suspended in the air, regardless of size. While respirable dust focuses on the smallest particles that

If you manage a business or work at a site here in Alberta—maybe in construction, energy, or manufacturing—you’re likely committed to safety. We all focus on visible dangers: the hard hats, the heavy machinery, and the safety harnesses. But what about the risks you can’t see, the ones floating right under your nose? We’re talking about respirable particulates, which are microscopic bits of dust and contaminants in the air that pose one of the biggest long-term threats to employee health. At Ask Environmental, we believe every Albertan deserves to breathe easy when they’re on the job. Testing for these invisible

When you hear “workplace safety,” you might picture hard hats and steel-toed boots. While that’s a big part of it, there’s a lot more to keeping people safe on the job, especially when dealing with hidden dangers like chemical and biological hazards. In Alberta, the rules for this are laid out in Part 4 of the Alberta OHS Code. This guide will help employers and workers understand what’s required and how to make sure everyone goes home safe at the end of the day. What Is the Alberta OHS Code? The Alberta OHS Code is a set of regulations that

When we think of workplace hazards, we often picture things we can see and touch. But some of the most dangerous threats are invisible. Respirable particulates, tiny particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs, pose a significant risk to workers in many industries across Alberta. This article will explore these silent dangers, with a specific focus on welding fume exposure in Alberta, and explain how effective management, often through industrial hygiene in Alberta, is critical for safety. What Are Respirable Particulates? Respirable particulates are airborne solid or liquid particles so small they bypass the body’s natural defense systems