What Is Asbestos And Why It Should Be Removed From Your Home
- For many years asbestos was used in buildings and home construction as a fireproof material and for insulation. It can still be found in older homes and buildings in the roof space where insulation is used, in joint compounds, under floor tiles, as well as other areas. Despite its attributes as a fire retardant and excellent thermal insulation, this naturally occurring fibrous material has been found to be dangerous to human health. Unfortunately many home owners are unaware of the serious hazard it poses to human health with thousands of deaths around the world directly attributed to exposure to this toxic material. So far it is the only known cause of cancer of the mesothelial tissue, mesothelioma, but it can also lead to other terminal diseases.
- What is Asbestos?
- Asbestos forms part of a group of 6 naturally occurring minerals made up of very fine, durable fibres that are fire, heat, and chemical resistant. All 6 types have common characteristics and are formless and tasteless. Its presence cannot be detected in a product or material unless tested in a laboratory, making it difficult to determine the risks associated with exposure.
- Once called the miracle mineral because it did not burn, it was widely used in everyday products from fire protective gear to building materials and household products such as heaters. It is now widely known that inhalation of the fibers affects the delicate lining of the lungs, causing a fatal cancer, malignant pleural mesothelioma, as well as other lung related illnesses. Exposure to any of the 6 asbestos minerals can cause cancer and other serious diseases.
- The 6 asbestos mineral types are typically divided into 2 distinct categories: Serpentine and Amphibole. Serpentine asbestos includes only one category called chrysotile (also known as white asbestos) and has long, curly fibers. Serpentine asbestos was the most commonly used commercially form as its flexible properties allowed it to be combined with other elements for use in products all over the world.
- The other 5 minerals are included in the Amphibole category and are called: amosite, crocidolite (blue asbestos), actinolite, tremolite, and anthophylite. Amphibole fibers are brittle, needle- or rod-shaped and are more hazardous when inhaled or digested than crysotile fibers. Fortunately these characteristics have made it a poor candidate for commercial use and exposure is mostly limited to naturally occurring deposits of amphibole asbestos.
- Although banned in most countries of the world, the legacy of asbestos remains hidden in numerous shapes and forms, still threatening the lives of those exposed to it at work or at home.
- What to do if you have Asbestos in your Home
- If asbestos is visible it is at its most dangerous because when the fibers are exposed they find their way more readily into the air and is breathed in by you, your family, or in the case of a building, the workers and visitors on the property. The dangerous material can be found in roofs, pipes, gutters, ceiling tiles, insulation boards, boilers and many other products. It was often mixed with cement in home construction for insulation and as a fire retardant.
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- With most products it is impossible to identify the presence of the material just by looking at the item. Since any amount of exposure could lead to health problems such as asbestosis, lung cancer, or mesothelioma, it should be avoided at all costs. If you suspect that it may be in your home, it is best to call in the services of an asbestos removal company with specialists that are able to identify asbestos containing materials and remove them safely. If you are concerned that it may cost an arm and a leg to undertake, ring your local professional and ask him for an asbestos testing cost before you get started, to ensure you know the full amount and they wont try and charge you for things you didn't ask for.
- Common areas in a home or building where asbestos products may be found are:
- - In ceilings boards or tiles (broken or crumbling tiles or boards are particularly dangerous if they contain asbestos).
- - In the roof space where asbestos insulation may have been used (exposed asbestos insulation in the roof space is particularly dangerous as it can let off large amounts of fibers into the air that gets distributed throughout the home by the air conditioning system.
- - In the original drywalls of older homes and buildings.
- - Asbestos sheeting was a common roofing product used from the mid-1940s to the mid-1980s. An estimated one in every three buildings and homes constructed during this period will contain asbestos products.
- - Asbestos was also frequently used in stove insulation in older homes and the manufacture of panel-type asbestos heaters.