Asbestos is naturally a very strong material, it is even heat resistent. This is why so many homes were constructed with material that used asbestos. Unfortunately, as health and scientific research became an integral part of building and advancement, it became apparent that asbestos caused many lung and respiratory diseases. Since then, builders and related associations have really pushed for removing asbestos from their materials. The question remains about older homes though, how do you tell if you’re home has asbestos?
An asbestos survey is necessary for determining if your home or commercial building has asbestos. With the serge of reconstruction done in the 1950’s, many industrial and commercial, as well as residential buildings contain
Asbestos Abatement: Used as a building material for decades, asbestos is a known carcinogen still present in many older homes. Rather than risking your health and that of your loved ones, let SafeGuard Restoration help.
In discussing the negative impact that asbestos has had on the people of Libby, it is very easy to correlate how the asbestos exposure was so concentrated in a family. Another way that a household, people who occupy the same housing unit, could have large amount of asbestos exposure is simply working with the products that asbestos was used to create. This could happen to people who do not even live in Libby. Asbestos was used for very many different products, all in which every member of a household could be bringing it back to the house. A grandmother of a household may love to garden and help grow a beautiful yard. This could lead her to buying large amounts of vermiculite, a type of asbestos, and bringing it back to the home. The vermiculite is then used for fertilizer being spread throughout the land outside of the house. With wind blowing the asbestos could very easily be spread throughout the inside of the house. In order to properly lay the vermiculite the grandmother would come in contact with the material, covering herself and her clothes, all in which will be entering the home. The father of a household may work for an insulation company who uses asbestos to insulate houses. The father will be covered in this asbestos, and also probably have his own house insulated with this material. These are two more contributing factors of asbestos to the household. Another example could be that a child of the
Asbestos once was a vital element in the majority of building projects from commercial to domestic structures in various sections of them, including the roofs. We now know that exposure to this element can be dangerous to your health. Inhaling the particles that come off asbestos can cause Mesothelioma. In its benign state, it is a non-cancerous tumour, but in its malignant form, it is a severe type of rare cancer. For this reason, you need to remove all asbestos from your structures, but in a safe, professional manner.
Daniel Jenkins, testified for the asbestos-insulation manufacturers for several years. Also, Dr. Leary, a physician specialized in chest diseases who worked for Travelers Insurance Company, diagnosed Tomplait with emphysema, and did not mention asbestosis. Leary’s finding was completely refuted when Dr. Selikoff reviewed Tomplait’s X-rays and said that his diagnosis of extensive pulmonary asbestosis is “as certain as anything can be in medicine”. Asbestos manufacturing companies and their lawyer similarly, denied knowledge of the association between asbestos exposure and lung disease, and argued consistently in every lawsuit that this association wasn’t known until Selikoff’s landmark article that was published in 1964. It was made conspicuous, however, that “literally hundreds of studies were published” in the 1920s and 1930s on the association between asbestos exposure and asbestosis. Stephenson was also able to compile a bibliography of 86 articles on asbestosis most of them published before 1938. Another example of the unethical conduct was what Dr. Cooper (an occupational health professor) said about not being able to have known that a 15% asbestos product would be unsafe in 1961, and that the early studies conducted in England, were on workers who were exposed to a lot heavier asbestos dust. Dr. Cooper also referred to a study conducted in 1945 by Fleisher et al that found low incidence (0.3%) of asbestosis among asbestos pipe covers (3 out of 1074). Despite the low incidence, the authors recommended the use of exhaust ventilation and to keep the total dust concentration low. In Fleisher’s study125, the majority (95%) of workers had been employed for less than 10 years, way less than the needed latency period to develop the disease. It is also a
Asbestos has been being used in the construction industry for decades. It dates back all the way to the Ancient Egyptians and Ancient Greeks. Asbestos is a natural occurring mineral made up of six sets of fibrous mineral: chrysotile, crocidolite, amosite, anthophyllite, tremolite and actinolite. Asbestos is a compound that is very versatile. In the 1800s, during the Industrial Revolution, asbestos was being widely used throughout companies for various reasons. Companies like Ford Motor Company, General Electric, General Motors, and Mobil Oil Corporation were all companies using asbestos in their products. Companies used this fibrous mineral as a insular in houses, schools, steam engines, fire-proof ocean vessels, and even in the brakes of automobiles. Construction workers can become deathly ill after long-term exposure to this mineral.
The second important reason asbestos materials must be removed is safety. If you leave materials containing asbestos, whether next year, twenty years or hundred years, eventually the problem of the asbestos material will have to be addressed. The material can be merely covered, but eventually every home needs repair, and building supplies replaced. If the building burns, or collapses, there is a significant risk of exposure to the people who live in the home and to all the firefighters and paramedics. A good but tragic example is the many firefighters and other first
“Asbestos can be found in many homes, schools, and workplaces, and if it is not handled properly it poses a serious health risk,” Healey said. “Too often, children, families, and workers are exposed to airborne asbestos fibers due to shoddy or unlicensed work, and many aren’t aware of the serious
Despite being banned in Australia nowadays, asbestos can still be found in most of older construction, residential and commercial area as well as abandoned mining site. Studies show that the building workers, specifically the plumbers, gas fitters, carpenters and electricians the highest risk of getting mesothelioma, disease from asbestos fibres (Peto, J., Hodgson, J.T., Matthews, F.T., & Jacqueline, R., 1995). According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the number of mesotheliomas ' cases are increasing and expected to reach 18000 in recent. Though the asbestos is known as hazardous material, it can only affect the health if the asbestos fibres become airborne and are inhaled. The primary route for the asbestos to enter the body is through the inhalation processes of the contaminated air (Safework Australia, 2011). Unusually, small fibrous particles of
As chest physicians become more aware of asbestos disease, due to its increasing incidence, and the need to ask patients at an early stage if they have ever been exposed to asbestos fibres, these difficulties become less and less of an issue, however, in addition to early history taking the following further difficulties regularly arise.
Asbestos is found to be a deadly material and exposure to it for long durations of time results in asbestos cancer mesothelioma. The material was held in high regard due to its multifarious qualities like resistance to heat and shock, low weight etc. It was put to use in various commercial and consumer products on a large scale. Companies manufacturing cement, insulation, roofing shingles, along with industrial applications such as automobile brake pads, hair driers etc make extensive use of asbestos.
Currently a chest x-ray is the most common tool used to detect asbestos-related diseases. However, it is important to note that chest x-ray cannot detect asbestos fibers in the lungs, but it can help to identify any early signs of lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos.
Receiving standard check-ups, specially if you experience some sort of recognized record of asbestos subjection (i. electronic. getting labored in an professional
For your building in St Helens, an asbestos survey can mean the difference between being on the wrong side of the law, and providing a safe environment in which to work. If you need a comprehensive and fundamental asbestos survey that conforms to all regulations, speak to us. With our high level of staff expertise, professionalism
Mcculloch (1986, p. 11) shows that asbestos is a human carcinogen to individuals living in industrialized states, if exposure occurs. The exposure of large numbers of people had been those who worked in buildings construction and the mines. However, asbestos exposure affects not only asbestos workers but also their families, users of asbestos products, as it was exposed to building materials and in heating and ventilating systems (Benarde, 1990). A number of exposed workers were from South Africa, because the protection of workers and communities was
Asbestos in the home can be very dangerous. It is very common for homes built or remodeled before the 1970’s to have asbestos-containing materials in them. During the twentieth century, about 30 million tons of asbestos fibers were used in the United States, and some of this asbestos ended up in residential buildings. If you have purchased a home or are considering the purchase of one, the presence of asbestos is nor necessarily a problem. The majority of individuals with asbestos related diseases have been in the business of manufacturing, installing and/or removing asbestos products. Fortunately, most people exposed to small amounts of asbestos do not develop asbestos related health problems. However, there is no known “safe” level of exposure, therefore, all exposure to asbestos should be avoided.