Homes that were built before the 1980s might contain asbestos in ceiling tiles, roof shingles, and siding, floor tiles, pipe cement, around insulation, such as sheeting, fireplace, pipes, duct, broilers, and compound joints. Asbestos can be health perilous if it is not spotted and removed in time via professional asbestos removal company.
Before you take shelter in or buy a historian place, make sure you recognize asbestos and get them removed.
What is Asbestos? How it can affect our Health
Asbestos is naturally forming minerals, which were used extensively in the manufacturing and construction business for several decades, especially in the 20th century because of its toughness, low cost, and, strong fiber resistance. However, little did we know that asbestos could be a serious threat to human health for many apparent reasons. Even the smallest exposure to the microscopic airborne asbestos fibers can cause incurable diseases like asbestosis, lung cancer (mesothelioma), and pleural thickening (non-cancerous lung disease). All asbestos-containing materials are dangerous when they are released into the environment and inhaled.
Despite being the cause of death for lakhs and lakhs of people, asbestos is still legally used in construction in many developed countries. Although not everyone who is exposed to damaged and disturbed asbestos will develop respiratory diseases, it is still dangerous to reside in a place that contains asbestos.
However, asbestosis and mesothelioma can grow between 10 and 40 years after the first exposure. The longer an individual is exposed to asbestos fiber, the greater the chance of developing health problems.
How to Spot Asbestos in Buildings
Most houses that were built between the 1940s and 1980s contain some asbestos. Identifying asbestos can be quite challenging due to the lack of visible brands and age of the building material. Visual inspection alone is not sufficient. If you think any part of your house construction contains asbestos, you must immediately collect a sample and get it tested from a certified lab.
Here are some possible ways to find asbestos:
- The most common places where asbestos can be found are window putty, interior wall paint, ceilings, siding, electrical insulation, and attic insulation. You can also find them in cars, garden sheds, garage, wood stoves and fireplaces, drywall, carpet underlay, floor tiles, heating and AC ducts, cement pipes, and boilers.
- The date can tell you a lot about the material. If the building was constructed after 1995, then no asbestos has been used.
- Asbestos sheets are often joined together with aluminum runners, held together by small nails or plastic or wooden runners. Any adhesive used to join the materials can contain asbestos.
- If you see a dimpled pattern or shallow craters covering the surface, you must test the material for asbestos. Although it is not a full-proof plan, good materials usually have a smoother texture.
- Most old cement boards contain asbestos. They look like a thin piece of concrete with fibers running through it.
- On the other hand, blow in asbestos used for interior paneling may create an oily appearance on tiles or may look grey or off-white with fibers in it.
Once you have recognized asbestos and testing is done, hire a licensed asbestos removal professional to remove the materials and decontaminate the place thoroughly.
