If you’re currently living in a vintage house, or you’re currently assessing a property that happens to be built during the 70s or 80s, there’s one document that you should request from your landlord: asbestos register.
This document will tell you whether asbestos is present in your home or the property you’re looking to buy. If there’s no asbestos register available, the best thing to do is to hire an asbestos inspection company to confirm whether this chemical is present in the property or not.
Why go through all the hassle, you might ask?
Well, to be completely honest, asbestos is not to mess with. It’s a construction material used in almost all building projects during the 70s and 80s. While it was considered great for insulation and fireproofing back then, now it just poses a ton of health risks when inhaled. You can inhale asbestos fibres if you try to renovate your house and use power tools without knowing that there’s asbestos. That’s why asbestos inspection is paramount in a lot of Australian homes and properties built during the 70s and 80s.
3 Diseases You Can Get from Inhaling Asbestos
Asbestosis
This disease can cause shortness of breath and tightness in the chest. Sometimes, it can even lead to cardiac failure.
Lung Cancer
Unbeknownst to many, smoking is not just the cause of lung cancer. Once you accidentally inhale the asbestos dust or fibres, they will latch on to your lung tissues and damage them. Which can eventually lead to lung cancer.
Mesothelioma
It’s another form of cancer that forms only in the linings of the lungs, heart, and abdomen. This cancer takes 20-50 years to grow. But when you’re diagnosed with it, you’ll be given 1-2 years of life expectancy by your doctor. Now that you know how important it is to have your vintage house inspected for asbestos, it’s time to look for the best services out there.
3 Tips in Choosing the Best Asbestos Inspection Company
1. Hire companies that offer inspection services only
You might have come across a company on the internet that proudly offers both removal and inspection of asbestos. Two-in-1! Sounds amazing, right? Well, as much as possible stay away from those companies. It might look like the better option, but trust us, it’s not. The reason for it is that hiring a company that offers both inspection and removal basically means conflict of interest and headache. There’s a great chance that the asbestos inspection report that you’ll receive is highly favourable to the asbestos removal side of their business. And you don’t want that to happen. What you need is an accurate report. After all, it’s your family’s health that’s at stake here. Also, stay away from companies that also offer services that don’t concern asbestos like pest extermination and plumbing. While this is good for their business, this is not good for you.
2. Hire companies that employ certified inspectors
When looking for inspection companies, don’t be afraid to ask questions. And one question you must not forget to ask is whether the inspectors are certified. Stay away from companies that hire retired builders with no certification or formal training at all. Keep in mind that asbestos is a health risk so you would want professionals to handle it.
3. Look for more accreditations on their website
Legitimate companies will certainly post their certifications, affiliations, and other accreditations on their website and other platforms. These details will only help establish their legitimacy.
Once you’ve found the best inspection company, the second thing to do is to hire contractors to remove all the asbestos left in your house. After the clean-up, the asbestos removal company needs to secure an asbestos clearance certificate. This is a document that will prove that your house is already asbestos-free.
