Asbestos can be detrimental if not handled and tackled the right away. They deteriorate your interior, are extremely damaging to yours and your family's health, and just look absolutely nasty. If you find yourself in a situation with asbestos in your home, you have to take immediate action.
It's hard to invest in a service such as asbestos control and environmental services since we don't typically have the budget for it; and these things don't come cheap.
Just so you understand how important this is, though, we've compiled a list of things having asbestos in your home can do to you and your family.
These pesky things aren't just a sign of an ageing house, or older walls, but also a source of many complications that can become really expensive in the long run.
Hiring a professional may end up being a great investment towards better health, avoiding future infections, and longevity both for your home and the people living in it. Inflector environmental services mention that anyone you hire must be licensed.
It Takes a While to Feel the Effects
Exposure to asbestos, whether in your home or workplace, for more extended periods of time increases your risk of getting asbestosis. Unfortunately, it takes over a decade to maybe 40 years to start feeling the effects on your health.
These symptoms differ in severity and usually take a lot of time to start showing serious effects. Before the 1970s, the government hadn't banned the usage of asbestos in buildings. Asbestos is a mineral used in cement, insulation, and floor tiles.
A lot of older buildings have serious asbestos issues and cause a lot of health problems. The issue with how long it takes for people to notice the symptoms is that these can worsen over time without being able to stop them before they evolve into something more serious.
What Exactly Is Asbestos and How Is it Used?
There are six minerals that occur naturally in the environment and produce hard, sturdy threads. The asbestos fibers can resist heat, water, and fire. Furthermore, they don't conduct electricity. Before the 1970s, little research was done on their health effects.
Accordingly, they were used to cement and build a lot of structures all over North America. Unfortunately, the health damages produced by asbestos don't manifest until at least a decade later, and the government didn't ban its usage until the late 70s.
Some asbestos contain strong fibers that are typically used in construction work and commercial applications. The agency for toxic health and disease has deemed asbestos as toxic for human health, as they pollute the air you breathe.
What Are the Health Risks of Having Asbestos in Your Home?
Breathing in asbestos-infested air can be deadly. The risk is everywhere. People can be affected by asbestos at home, at work, in commercial buildings, and literally in any older building.
When you breathe in asbestos fibers, you risk trapping them in your respiratory system, causing endless health problems. These can be very expensive to solve in the long run, and it is, therefore, a great investment to get rid of them as soon as you can.
Some hazards caused by asbestos include lung cancer, respiratory problems, asbestosis (a lung infection caused by continuous asbestos inhalation), and benign pleural effusions, which may lead to getting cancer in the long run.
Occasional exposure to the minerals has minimal risk for causing these illnesses, but regular exposure can be detrimental. Considering the effects take a long time to manifest, the risk of not even being aware you're being exposed to asbestos is incredibly high.
Therefore, it's better to be safe than sorry.
Does Smoking Affect the Risk of Contracting These Illnesses?
Generally, it's better to quit your smoking habit if you have it. However, if you feel like asbestos might be present in your home, workplace, or any building you frequent regularly, you should move quitting smoking to the top of your priority list.
Having weaker lungs because you smoke speeds up the detrimental effects of breathing in asbestos, and increases your risk of lung cancer. Evidence has shown that nonsmokers run a lower risk of contracting a lung-related disease when breathing in asbestos.
Stay Safe, Do Your Research, and Breathe Better
Now that you're aware of how these minerals can affect you, and how you can remove them from your home, there's no reason to run the risk of contracting any asbestos-related illnesses.
Ask your landlord or your neighbors how old your building is. If it's old, take the necessary measures to get these minerals out of your walls and floors.
If your workplace is in an old building, talk to the owners about the effects of asbestos and make sure they've taken the necessary measures to keep you and your coworkers safe.
