Everything you need to know about asbestos and health risks
Before you start searching for asbestos testing San Diego in California (CA)services, it is crucial to know why testing is required in the first place. It is also crucial to know some of the most common materials that could contain asbestos. Asbestos was commonly used in drainage and flue pipes, cement sheeting, roofing, Flexi bible building boards, guttering, gaskets, clutches and brakes. In the 1960s and 1970s, loose fiber asbestos was used in some parts of the world as home roof insulation. That is no longer popular now.
How can asbestos affect your health?
Breathing fibers of asbestos can cause lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma. The more the number of fibers inhaled, the more the risk of contracting the above-mentioned diseases. The risk of lung cancer from asbestos fiber inhalation is also greater in people who smoke.
People who get certain health problems from inhaling asbestos have been exposed to high levels of asbestos fibers for a very long time. The symptoms of these complications don’t usually appear until about 20 years to 30 years after the first asbestos exposure.
When does asbestos pose a health risk?
Asbestos fibers can pose a health risk if airborne. Inhalation is the main way that asbestos will enter your body. Asbestos fibers in small quantities are present in the air we breathe all the time. They are breathed by everyone without any negative health effects.
Most people are exposed to small amounts of asbestos daily and don’t develop health problems related to asbestos. Finding that your workplace or home is made from fibro products doesn’t mean you are at risk. Work with an environmental testing agency to find out whether the risk can pose serious health issues. Finding that your workplace or home is made from fibro products does not mean you are at risk of sustaining serious health conditions.
According to studies, these products, in sound condition and when left undisturbed, aren’t a significant health risk. If asbestos fibers remain bound in cement, you don’t need to remove the fibro.
A lot of people who have suffered health effects from asbestos exposure have worked in either the asbestos milling or mining industry, worked in industries that made or installed asbestos products or are people from the immediate families of these people. For asbestos to cause health complications, it should be inhaled in large quantities.
Different levels of risks from different forms of asbestos
If asbestos fibers are in a stable and undisturbed material such as bonded in cement sheeting such as fibro, they pose no health risk. However, where the fibro is broken, mishandled or damaged, fibers can get loose and airborne and pose a health risk. Removing or disturbing it unsafely can create a health hazard.
In materials such as sprayed roof insulation and pipe lagging, asbestos fibers aren’t bound in a matrix. Highly concentrated asbestos fibers are more likely to be released into the atmosphere when these materials are removed or disturbed.
Removal of asbestos
After asbestos testing San Diego CA, it is important to call a specialized professional to remove it safely.