Renovating your home is something most of us do at some point in our lives. While asbestos is a known carcinogen that should be avoided, it is often found in older homes. It’s no fun stumbling around with a mask on, but if you’re renovating older homes, then it’s important to know how to handle the toxic material. As much as you need to get some roll off waste container rental done during the renovation process, it is also important to know the nitty-gritty of the process before going ahead with it.
As the housing market continues to show signs of recovery, apartment owners and developers are taking to renovating and modernizing their properties in hopes of bringing in more customers and higher rentals. The trouble is, sometimes these renovations leave behind asbestos residue that does not belong in a building that is supposed to be safe for its occupants to live and work in.
What is asbestos?
Asbestos was once an everyday material used in many of our homes. But its deadly properties and its potential to cause devastating diseases such as lung cancer and mesothelioma have led to its use being restricted or banned in many places. Since the ban, its use has declined dramatically, so it is a material that many of us have forgotten about.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring silicate mineral. It is often seen as blue, black, or white. It’s often used in replacement for regular materials during construction, such as roofing shingles, cement, and floors. It is very durable and resistant to heat, fire, and chemicals. Asbestos has been linked to disease and death for decades, but as you may know, it was phased out of use almost completely in the 1960s. It has since been found in many products – from the insulation used in schools to some building materials – but you need to know the signs of asbestos fibers to know for sure. This is why many property owners tend to enlist the services of expert Asbestos surveyors bSure Surveying or similar others to ensure that their buildings are free from asbestos and safe for occupants.
How to handle asbestos from finding and removing it?
Asbestos is a common material that can be found in many products, such as insulation, home insurance, and paint. However, asbestos can pose a serious health risk if you are exposed to it. The dangers of asbestos exposure depend on how much asbestos you inhale, where it is in the body, how long you are exposed, and how it is handled. Asbestos fibres are released into the air when people are exposed to asbestos. The health risk of asbestos exposure varies depending on the type of asbestos, the amount of fibre released, and the length of time the fibres are in the air.
When renovating your home or business, it is important to make sure you don’t disturb asbestos materials. As anyone who has ever seen a horrifying renovation film will know, asbestos will kill you if you breathe it in or touch it with your bare skin. This means that if you have found asbestos in your home or business, you need to remove it safely. You cannot be certain whether an area contains asbestos unless you test it. And, unfortunately, the symptoms of asbestos poisoning can take a while to appear, meaning you may have no idea that your home or business is contaminated with asbestos. As commercial or industrial business owner, you should be familair with companies that do asbestos abatement in Atlanta or one near you to clear lead-based inspections for environmental safety compliance needs.
Asbestos in your home can be a serious health hazard if not removed; in fact, it can cause cancer. Removal of asbestos is a legal requirement when renovating. This is not always an easy task, so some people choose to have an asbestos removal specialist remove it. These people could be more equipped to handle hazardous materials with bodysuits, masks, and gloves to avoid getting in contact with toxic fumes. Experts that are trained to deal with asbestos may obtain industrial safety gloves made of nitrile from unigloves.co.uk or similar websites when conducting such tasks. Doing this by yourself can put you at risk of encountering health problems like shortness of breath, persistent coughing, skin irritation and rashes, etc.
As we all know, there are many materials in our homes that we do not recognize as hazardous asbestos materials. These materials can be found in our offices, schools and everyday places. It is important that every household or business owner knows the signs of asbestos that can be found within their surroundings. This is because once someone is exposed to these materials, they will not know the signs of asbestos.
If you’ve got a renovation project on the horizon, here’s a piece of advice: do a quick online search before committing to a contractor. If you can’t find any information about how your renovation may affect your family’s health, you may want to reconsider. Asbestos, a very dangerous material that has been banned for use in building products in the U.S. and Canada since the 1970s, continues to be a problem in many homes. If you suspect that your house has asbestos products, you may want to hire a professional to safely remove them.