Tag: asbestos

In the 1940s and 1950s, a common material was often used in home and building construction called asbestos.  Asbestos was a great building material that is actually an organic fibrous compound that is heat and fire resistant, and also can not conduct electricity.  While asbestos used to be a common product to use, in the 1970s, the Consumer Products Safety Commission, also known as the CPSC, determined that asbestos was a dangerous carcinogen and was to be banned from the market.  While many building still contained asbestos, proper precautions were to be made for employees who were going to have to come in contact with the produce.  Several decades later, many company owners and construction project leaders each faced a large asbestos lawsuit, claiming that proper health cautions were not taken when employees came in contact with the product.  The reason that an asbestos lawsuit was able to come about was that many former construction workers and other employees had discovered that they have illnesses causes from their contact with asbestos.  An asbestos lawsuit claims that innocent people came in contact with asbestos at work, and had later discovered that they were sick with illnesses such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis.  The asbestos lawsuit claims that these employees were knowingly subjected to unhealthy and unsafe situations at work. 

Many families have created an asbestos lawsuit against their loved ones former employees because their family has had someone become sick or even loose their life because of their asbestos encounters.  People who file an asbestos lawsuit feel that if their loved ones employer had proved the correct safety material to be used when someone was in contact with the dangerous product, no one would have become sick or had to unfortunately loose their life.  Over the years, many families an have the opportunity to win an asbestos lawsuit and feel as though they have gained someone of justice for their unwarranted pain and loss.

Asbestos was used in many building materials from the late 19thcentury until the 1980’s because it is fire resistant, durable and a very good insulating material. It was discovered that inhaling asbestos fibers posed a very serious health risk including mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung, esophagus and other internal organs. Because of this risk asbestos is no longer used in the construction industry, however it remains in many buildings, especially those built after World War II. In recent years, removing asbestos has become an important industry.

If you suspect that you may have asbestos in your home, don’t panic. If it is possible, leave it alone, as it is only a hazard if loose particles get loose in the air. Do not sand or saw the asbestos materials. Do not try removing asbestos on your own; seek advice from a professional experienced in removing asbestos. Common areas where asbestos may be found in the home include: hot water pipes, flue pipes, roof shingles, textured paint, vinyl floor tiles or sheet flooring, insulation on older hot water heaters, insulation in old stoves, and ceiling tiles.

If you do plan on removing asbestos, you should take proper precautions. Wear disposable overalls, gloves, hats and shoe coverings. Wear a half face respirator with a filter rated for asbestos, and work in a well-ventilated area. Wet the materials to reduce dust, and try not to break them. Use a wet mop to sweep any debris and only use a vacuum with a filter designed to collect asbestos fibers. Wet and wrap the asbestos materials in sealed plastic and identify it as asbestos. Throw away all of the asbestos contaminated clothing in a sealed bag and also identify it as being contaminated by asbestos. Shower thoroughly to ensure you wash off any fibers that may have gotten through the barrier. Bring all the waste materials to a dump approved for asbestos collection.

Hopefully this has convinced you to avoid removing asbestos on your own. Call a pro and get good advice. Many times the area can be sealed off, and the hazard will be contained.

Asbestos is a danger material that is still found in buildings today, although it has been deemed harmful for a few decades.  Fortunately, it is fairly easy to perform an asbestos abatement so that the material is safely removed and disposed of without any injury or harm.  It is very important to remember that the average layperson cannot simply go to the source of the asbestos and remove it themselves.  The material is highly dangerous, so the asbestos abatement needs to be done with care, or preferably, by a licensed hazardous material professional.  When performing an asbestos abatement, it’s important to be sure to seal off all cracks or holes, so that any loose material cannot enter the environment or get onto walls, the floor, etc.  If you are careless, the material could spread to other areas in the building and make the problem worse instead of better.

Since asbestos should not be touched or breathed in, it is also important to seal off your body from the material.  This can be done by purchasing a sealed, disposable suit.  The suit should include coverage for the entire feet, and have either breathing holes that are filtered, or attach to some sort of breathing apparatus to ensure that it is not being breathed in.  Asbestos abatement is a very complicated process, so it’s highly recommended that you consult a professional to perform the job.  Since there is an inherent risk with asbestos, and since the removal process can be tricky and difficult, it is usually best to get a contractor to do the work and pay the extra money.  It is well worth it in the long run because you can be sure your building or home is free of the material, and you know that you were not exposed to asbestos.

When you buy a new home, one of the worst things you can discover after moving in is asbestos insulation in your walls or on your pipes.  Asbestos disposal is an expensive job to have done, and is very difficult to do on your own.  The reason why asbestos is not good to find is because of the serious harm it can do to your lungs when inhaled.  When disturbed, asbestos breaks into thousands upon thousands of virtually weightless strands which float through the air.  When inhaled, these strands can cause lung disease, and in particular mesothelioma, a very aggressive cancer of the abdomen, which is generally fatal.

If you find what you suspect to be asbestos you should make care not to touch or disturb the asbestos in any way.  Asbestos gets very brittle and can easily break apart.  You should call an asbestos disposal company as soon as possible so they can give you their professional opinion on how to remove it.

Sometimes asbestos shouldn’t even be removed at all.  Instead it can be encapsulated with another substance to prevent the asbestos from breaking apart and floating into the air.  While encapsulating the asbestos doesn’t remove it all together, it does limit the danger it can post.  In the long run though, the asbestos will have to be dealt with.

When you hire a professional asbestos disposal company they will probably begin with a thorough inspection to see just how much asbestos is involved.  When they first begin extracting the asbestos they will wear face masks to prevent the asbestos from entering their lungs.  After removing all of the large pieces they will wash the surfaces in which the asbestos was attached to remove any stray pieces.  To be thorough, some asbestos disposal companies then repaint or reseal the surface to cover any last traces of the asbestos.

Many people who have worked on older homes or in older buildings are acutely aware of asbestos exposure and the problems and heartache that can occur to to exposure to this product. For those people who do not commonly work in old spaces, asbestos exposure might not be a commonly used phrase.  You might wonder what, exactly, asbestos is. 

Asbestos is actually the phrase used to describe several minerals that are produced naturally in the environment in bundles of fibers that are often spread thin to create thin, strong threads. These natural fibers were a great product for builders to use because the asbestos fibers were resistant to fire, heat, and chemicals, and didn’t conduct electricity. For a long time, it was believed that asbestos was a great product to use in construction because of all of its great features. However, over time, scientist learned that the asbestos that can be emitted into the environment can be extremely dangerous and toxic.

 Asbestos exposure can cause a lot of damage for people that have been exposed to this product. Asbestos exposure can lead to the development of malignant mesothelioma which is extremely dangerous and often deadly. Asbestos exposure can also cause diseases such as lung cancer, asbestos, and pleural disease.  During WWII and the few decades following, asbestos was used commonly throughout many industries, causing many people to be subjected to asbestos exposure and therefor be subjected to many of the awful diseases that have come about because of this asbestos exposure.

Ever since it was discovered that asbestos exposure can pose serious health problems, the FDA has banded the use of the product. People have also made conscious efforts to remove all asbestos still present in older homes and buildings, so that the danger of asbestos exposure can be eliminated.

Asbestos is a product that was commonly used in the construction of many homes and buildings in the mid 1900s, and was discovers in the 1970s to be a dangerous carcinogen, and was banned from further use in construction products and any other form of use.  Asbestos was used frequently because it was fire resistant, heat safe, and did not conduct electricity.  Because of these features, the product seemed great for building and construction purposes. While asbestos was not used in building and construction after the 1970s, the product was, and still is, around everywhere is many old buildings.  Because asbestos can cause serious illnesses such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis, it is important that asbestos training is done on the safe removal of the product so that the homeowners or building occupants do not have to come in contact with product and are not put at risk for contracting these diseases.

Asbestos training teaches professionals how to remove the asbestos from whatever casing it is lying in, such as walling or flooring.  With out the proper asbestos training, small fibers from the old asbestos could become airborne, and create huge health risks for the people living in the home. 

Another thing to think about when removing asbestos is that the asbestos training is done by licensed professionals.  Asbestos is so dangerous, that if someone is trained by an agency that is not licensed in proper asbestos removal, they can not insure that all of the small fibers will be removed.  With the proper asbestos removal done by professionals who have received asbestos training, homeowners and building occupants can rest easy knowing that they are not in any danger of getting mesothelioma or lung cancer that could have been caused by the carcinogenic asbestos product.  Asbestos is a dangerous product, but when properly taken care of, it can easily be tamed.

Asbestos is a hazardous material that can be deadly if it is breathed in over long periods of time.  While most asbestos is not harmful as long as the fibers do not rip or the material that contains it does not tear and fibers are not released into the air, it is still good to know if asbestos exists in your home or office.  You can visually test for asbestos sometimes, but it’s important that you know exactly what you’re looking for.  Many other building materials also look like asbestos, so you don’t want to get the two confused.  Perhaps the best and most accurate method of asbestos testing involves using a kit which can usually be purchased from a home improvement store, or online.  The kits usually cost around $20-$50 and are the most accurate way to be sure you have asbestos.  A professional company who performs asbestos testing may charge anywhere from $200-$500, so it’s much more cost effective to try and do it yourself with a purchased kit first.

Asbestos testing kits require you to get a small sample of an area of materials that you feel may contain asbestos.  This material is then mailed off to a lab where they have special asbestos testing equipment.  The lab then tests for the presence of asbestos, as well as the level of severity.  Once they are complete, the results are either mailed or emailed back to you so you can then take the next step.  If you are not satisfied with the results or would like a second opinion, there are professionals who come to you and test the air and other bulk materials.  This is especially recommended for larger buildings.  If your home was built before 1978, it is definitely recommended that you test for asbestos, no matter which method you choose.

Asbestos is a strong and incombustible fiber, one that is used in a vast number of products, more so in the past, and namely those involving fireproofing and insulation. The reason that asbestos is generally not used today is because of the various risks that have been found to be related to it. It is a natural mineral with unusual qualities, and although it is a good insulator against heat and electricity, there is various health risks associated with exposure to the fiber.

Asbestos poses health risks when fibers are in the air that people can breathe, and the asbestos fibers then lodge in the lungs and can even cause scarring that will most likely ultimately lead to severely impaired lung function in the person’s body. The first time there was any real expressed concern regarding asbestos was back in the 1800s, then even more pronounced in the late 1960s when workers who had been heavily exposed 20 to 30 years earlier began to show increased incidence of lung disease.

Asbestos Analysis

Really the only known way to determine whether or not there are levels of asbestos in the air is by conducting an asbestos analysis. If you are not sure whether products in your home contain asbestos then you are going to want to call in an experienced contractor who will be able to check around in your home and determine whether or not there is a problem. Unless you are specifically knowledgeable and experienced in this area you should not attempt to take care of the problem yourself.

The asbestos analysis will usually not take long, although it can often be a complex and expensive matter when it comes to actually removing any asbestos that is found. Again this should only be done by an experienced contractor, and when disturbing an asbestos product, maximum precautions need to be taken in order to ensure that all people in the area are going to be safeguarded and protected.

Once the asbestos analysis has been completed you are going to have to take precautions to protect yourself in the future, and namely you are going to want to reduce the air pressure in order to prevent asbestos fibers from escaping from the work area if it does happen to return. Make sure that you always dispose of all waste appropriate according to the specific guidelines of your provincial department of the environment, and always get a second opinion if you are ever not sure about something.

Asbestos related health hazards in the home and in the workplace can be considered as among one of the most controversial issues of chemical contaminants in the last twenty years. Because asbestos exposure tends to take some time to manifest its symptoms, it was only in the past decade or so that its effects and implications entered the public consciousness when the first cases came out.

Housing materials of the past half-century and some appliances made before the 80s contained sufficient asbestos to have caused exposure. If you have only begun to be aware of the possibility that you may have materials in your home that may contain asbestos, then it is prudent that you might want to consider having an asbestos inspection.

An asbestos inspection can be as simple as finding a lab that should be able to assist you in collecting a sample of a material suspected of containing asbestos and then analyzing it, the costs of which are not expensive and usually below $50.

Or if you believe that a more thorough asbestos inspection may be necessary, you can contact a certified inspector for that purpose that may help you in not only identifying risky materials and components, but also giving you advice on how to dispose of such materials. Another good source to find help or assistance in an asbestos inspection is your local or state health departments.

Outside the home, the work place can also be a source of asbestos exposure. If your profession is involved in the manufacturing of asbestos related materials or other products, insulation work, ship-building, construction and building and even fire-fighting, you have to be aware of the conditions that define your work.

In the first place, if the industry you’re working for knows that it deals with high concentrations of asbestos, an asbestos inspection may not be necessary granting that the industry or company has the proper safeguards in place to protect you and your co-workers.

A company that knows the health risks involved also knows the potential for lawsuits and claims so it is in their best interest to provide their workers with protection. But then there are those who either ignore it or are hiding it. It is up to you to familiarize yourself with the problem and alert the proper authorities if there is sufficient reason to believe that exposure are present.

Asbestos is a hazardous material that was used in insulation in older buildings, until it was discovered to be harmful to humans in the 1980s.  Asbestos was also used in many building materials, including siding for homes.  If you have a home built in 1978 or older and the siding has never been replaced, you may have asbestos siding.  While asbestos itself it not extremely dangerous, it can be if the material is disrupted (i.e. ripped, shredded, etc), and the fibers get into the air.  If you have asbestos siding that is unharmed and in fairly good condition, you may actually not have to do anything.  However, if you see tears or holes in the siding, it may be time to have it removed and replaced.  Keep in mind that if you choose the latter, it is best to have a professional remove the material to prevent any harm.

If you decide to remove the asbestos siding, keep in mind that the material is considered hazardous waste in every state in America.  This is another reason it’s important to get the help of an expert in this situation, so they can remove and dispose of it properly.  Otherwise you could be subject to a hefty fine if you are caught disposing of it incorrectly.  Perhaps the asbestos siding on your home is only damaged in a few small areas.  You can always just remove this portion, and replace it with traditional vinyl siding.  Of course, finding a color match might be difficult since most asbestos siding is older.  No matter what you choose to do, as long as you are aware of the effects of asbestos siding and how to remove or replace it, you should be just fine.  Always ask an expert when in doubt just to be on the safe side.