Freeing Your Home From Asbestos
Asbestos, a silicate mineral used since Greek times, is an excellent insulator-and a cause of mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis. People in the late 1800s discovered the benefits of asbestos: resistant to heat, chemicals, and electricity; tensile strength; and sound absorption. However, it was not until the 1980s that people began to recognize the detrimental effects of asbestos.
Because of its multitude of benefits and uses, asbestos can be hidden in a number of places around your house. This means that you and the people you love could be getting poisoned by your own place of refuge, your haven. Therefore, it is a good idea to check your house for asbestos-containing materials if it was built prior to and up to the 1980s.
One type of asbestos, called chrysotile, is present in several things often used in residential construction. Chrysotile has been known to reside in caulk, thermal pipe insulation, joint compound, roofing, counter tops, vinyl floor tiles, and siding. Basically, if your home was build before we recognized the terrible effects of asbestos, you could be surrounded by the carcinogen.
Unfortunately, there is no way for you to detect asbestos by examining the suspicious material. You must either hire a professional asbestos inspector to come into your home, or carefully cut out samples to send to an asbestos lab for testing.
To cut a sample of asbestos, you need to make sure you do not inhale any of the microscopic fibers that break off and float in the air. It is breathing in these fibers that creates such damage to your lungs. To properly and safely cut samples, wear a mask and protective clothing. Spray a mix of water and detergent on the suspicious substance, cut out a small sample, place it in a secure, airtight container, and send it to a licensed asbestos testing lab.
If you do indeed have asbestos in your home, it can be a good idea to take it out. Sometimes, you might be able to leave asbestos the house as long as it is not deteriorating and spreading its invisible carcinogenic particles through the air. You can either choose to repair or remove the asbestos. Repairing is typically cheaper than removal because the asbestos is treated with a sealant or wrapped in a protective cover to keep it from releasing its deadly fibers. Total removal is typically more expensive than reparation, but it does offer the mental reassurance that it is completely gone.
Asbestos can be a scary thing to have in your home. Although home builders before the 1980s did not know asbestos to be a secret killer, current construction workers should know better than to put it in your home.
About the Author:
Joseph Devine - For more information on asbestos and asbestos-related diseases, check out Williams Kherkher today. - http://mesolawsuit.com/