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A PROFILE IN BIOBASED SUCESS
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| Mastic Removal Made Easy |
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BEAN-e-doo® Does It All for
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U.S. Postal Service Including Saving Big Dollars
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The U.S. Postal Service’s Jim Hennessey found that a soy-based mastic remover saves him 300 percent since the product’s environmental and performance qualities allow USPS to remove cove base without the services of outside remediation firms that specialize in removing materials containing asbestos.
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| When the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) discovered, tested and began using the mastic remover with the catchy name, BEAN–e–doo®, its primary reasons were that it was safe to use and it worked very well. But it has also turned into a big money saver. “This product removes mastic, which often contains asbestos. If it didn’t work, we’d have to contract with outside remediation firms that specialize in removing materials containing asbestos. The cost for us to do it is sixty cents a square foot. The cost for an outside contractor to do it is $1.76 per square foot—that’s a savings of almost 300 percent. In addition, we are now using it to remove floor tiles, too. Just here in our Northeast Region (New England and New York, except New York City) that adds up to big money because we estimate about 40,000 cases per year,” states James Hennessey, USPS Albany District Environmental Coordinator. The story started back in 2000 when USPS Manager of Environmental Compliance for the Northeast Area, Charles Vidich, who oversees asbestos removal efforts throughout Northeast Region, heard about BEAN–e–doo® from a representative of Franmar Chemical, Inc. “A lot of mastic removers that we tried had strong fumes. |
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After a series of tests in Upstate New York, we made the decision that this product was going to do the trick for us,” Hennessey said. Vidich works to reduce employee exposure to hazards, but he also stresses that a product must meet performance standards before it can be approved. Hennessey shares this concern, “Usually, we don’t find just one product that works because there are many options.” Hennessey said. “But nothing worked as well as BEAN–e–doo®. It was easy to use and environmentally friendly, and it’s the only mastic remover we recommend.” Hennessey helped test the product in multiple Postal facilities and in various rooms, ranging from a supervisor’s office to a boiler room to a front lobby. He worked with subcontractor Roy Weston to follow standard procedures and conduct initial negative exposure tests that require the use of a respirator. BEAN–e–doo® passed those evaluations, and he began in-house tests that are conducted without respirators. Based on several months of analysis, BEAN–e–doo® gained approval for Class Three asbestos removal (which means USPS employees can use the product without a respirator) because it is biodegradable, contains no volatile organic compounds, has a
mild odor and is user friendly.
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Cove-base along walls can release asbestos when it is removed. The U.S. Postal Service uses BEAN– e–doo® for cove base and floor tile removal.
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United States Department Of Agreiculture
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BioPreferred Program
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