Since the discovery of the adverse health effects of asbestos and its subsequent prohibition, homeowners in many part of the world have been testing for asbestos in their own homes, cautious for their own family’s safety. Today, the concern for asbestos in homes – especially those that have been built before the early 1980’s – is still at large, with many firms offering asbestos testing services and the like.
It is still very important to check for asbestos in one’s home – not just for structures built before 1980, but even for some of the newer ones as asbestos had long been a leading compound in insulation such as in fireplaces, ducts, pipes, boilers, and sheeting, as well as in the creation of sidings, roof shingles, floor and ceiling tiles, sheet flooring, flashing, and also in joint compunds associated with sheetrock. These are just some of the instances in which asbestos was used.
Structures with asbestos, when damaged, have a chance of releasing asbestos fibers in the air. It is in this state that asbestos becomes a major health hazard, as its airborne fibers may be inhaled. Asbestos inhalation has shown to lead to cases of lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis, among others.
Checking for asbestos in your home is an integral way of preventing asbestos-related health concerns, especially if you are renovating or remodeling your home of if you are repairing structural damage in your home. The only way to determine whether a material contains asbestos is to have it analyzed by a laboratory that is licensed or accredited to analyze materials for asbestos using Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM).
In case any of these tests result in positive detection of asbestos, it is also important to consider the nature of the material in which the asbestos was detected. Should it be classified as friable – meaning it can easily crumble, thereby increasing the risks of asbestos getting into the air – then it should immediately be dealt with, preferably by a professional asbestos abatement company, working cautiously to avoid causing the asbestos to become airborne. Non-friable asbestos material, although not immediately dangerous can also become a serious hazard if it is damaged, sawed through, cut or abraded in any way . Though, this sounds less hazardous than friable asbestos, the structure should still be observed for signs of asbestos wear and tear. Other times, materials with asbestos in them can be replaced or isolated by encapsulants – air-tight barriers that hinder asbestos particles from becoming airborne.
Asbestos in the home is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. If you suspect any asbestos presence in your household, exercise caution. At the very minimum, consider having the material tested by a NVLAP accredited laboratory.
Comments are closed