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The Dangers From Asbestos

By: Joseph Amainte

With the dangers of inhaling asbestos, many companies have hired professionals to come in and remove this dangerous substance. The fibers that make up the asbestos are what are dangerous and can cause cancers such as mesothelioma and other diseases. The asbestos only becomes dangerous when the material it is in breaks down or open and the fibers become airborne. Unfortunately, it only takes a small amount of fibers at very low exposure levels for a problem to occur. Then, the onset of trouble might not show for up to 40 years.

Exposure to asbestos usually occurs in work or even homes, but another source of exposure is occurs when people live near places such as shipyards, steel mills, power plants, refineries, and so on -- all places where asbestos is used. Asbestos fibers become loose and contaminate the nearby residential areas. Other industries the use asbestos include maritime, construction, automotive repair (specifically brakes and clutches), roofing, and railroads.

Asbestos is not only a serious problem for some types of businesses, but it can also be found in many homes and schools. Before to the 1970s, some materials used for building commonly contained asbestos. In fact, as much as 30 million tons of asbestos fiber was used in the United States alone during this time, much of it winding up in homes and schools.

Now that you’ve seen this alarming news, how can you ensure that you’re safe? For one thing, not all houses built before 1970 used any asbestos. Secondly, the chief places where people are exposed to asbestos are industrial sites. Not only that, but more people that were exposed did not get sick as opposed to those who did.

However, if for any reason, you r suspect that your home may have asbestos products, contact the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to request a listing of licensed or certified techniques who can check the home for asbestos and if found, remove it. The EPA may also recommend that you contact a separate firm to have them conduct an assessment to confirm there is no asbestos present from the other finding.

Anytime you’re contemplating home construction, assume that some of the materials will contain asbestos, unless marked asbestos free. Contact all manufacturers and get their guarantee that none of their building stock has asbestos fibers. You can’t be too careful.

When you purchase a home from a private seller, the seller is required by law to disclose any known hazards to you, including asbestos. Apartment buildings built prior to 1970 may have materials that include asbestos in their construction. Remember that asbestos only becomes truly dangerous when the product breaks down or opens, until then it is not a health risk.

OSHA issued standards in 1995 for testing, maintenance, and disclosure of asbestos for the workplace. However, rental property is also categorized under this ruling, meaning that property owners arerequired to disclose to potential renters any existing asbestos. With that information, you can make the determination of living there orlooking at other rental properly.

Article Source: http://www.simplepetcare.com/pet-articles

Joseph Amiante is the webmaster and operator of Asbestos Pain, a web site which focuses on asbestos issues. For more information, go to: www.asbestospain.com

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