How to Check for Asbestos In Your Home
Asbestos is a natural mineral that can cause cancer and may be hiding in your home. Before people knew of the dangers associated with this mineral, it was used in ceiling tiles, siding, insulation, and more. This makes it a serious issue for houses built before 1980. To have confidence that you and your family live in a healthy home, make sure that it is free of asbestos. In this article, we’re going to give you a comprehensive overview of asbestos and strategies to check if you have it in your home.
Dangers of Asbestos
Asbestos is only harmful when airborne, which makes it dangerous once the material starts deteriorating. For example, some paint used to include asbestos. Sturdy paint poses no threat to your health. However, as the paint chips, the asbestos can become airborne, making it a cancerous item within your home. Being carcinogenic, long term asbestos increases the risk of cancer. It also can lead to asbestosis which is a chronic lung disease, and other breathing issues.
How to Check Your Home for Asbestos
If you are worried that your home may have asbestos, you need to check it right away. Unfortunately, asbestos normally cannot be seen by the naked eye. It must be sent to a certified laboratory to be analyzed either through Polarized Light Microscopy or Transmission Electron Microscopy. How the process works is that you will hire a professional to collect a small sample and then send it off to a certified laboratory.
What to Do If You Find Asbestos
Hopefully, the analysis will show that your home is asbestos-free. If, on the other hand, the experts find asbestos in your home, you need to act immediately, or else you could be putting yourself and your family at risk.
Asbestos Removal
The best way to treat asbestos in your home is to remove it entirely. You need to hire a professional to remove the asbestos for you. If it is removed incorrectly, you will send asbestos fibers into the air, further exposing you to the toxic fibres. For removal, a contractor will use a HEPA vacuum, disposable clothing, and approved respirators to keep themselves safe.
Sometimes, asbestos-containing materials can be repaired or isolated. For example, materials that are in good condition but contain asbestos will be protected in an airtight barrier. This provides a temporary solution to the asbestos problem since it allows you to still use the original material without running the risk of asbestos exposure.
Seek Legal Advice
Additionally, you need to seek legal advice if you have been exposed to asbestos in your home. Even if you are not showing any early signs of cancer, you still need to seek legal advice. Attorneys that specialize in asbestos exposure can tell you some next-step options for keeping you and your family safe.
Endnote
If your home was built before 1980, you need to make sure that it does not involve any asbestos. In the case that you have been exposed to asbestos in your home, you need to contact a legal professional right away.
My mom has been thinking about moving into an older home because she really likes the style that they have. She would really like to get a professional to check for asbestos in the home. Making sure that she can be safe when she does repairs could be really useful for her. I’ll be sure to tell her about how it is only dangerous when airborne, and she can protect herself by getting rid of it immediately.
I did not know that asbestos can be found in paint and when it starts to get old then the occupants of a home are exposed to it. We would like to have our home inspected for asbestos because we rented it out to some families years ago. They took total care of the painting and upkeep, so we are not sure what was used. We will call for an asbestos professional to come out and inspect our home before spring.