Why You Should Call a Restoration Service for Asbestos Removal

If you believe there is some asbestos in your home or commercial building, hire asbestos removal experts for safe removal. The production and use of asbestos were declared illegal more than 40 years ago, as it presented several health risks. However, it can be found in buildings that were constructed before the 1980s in most flooring, insulation materials, roofing products, ceiling materials, and other asbestos-containing building materials. That said, procure immediate asbestos remediation if you suspect your building materials contain asbestos.

Common Areas with Asbestos in Homes

Asbestos was widely used in the past. As such, it can be present in the following areas of your home;

• Ceilings – traditional ceiling tiles popularly referred to as popcorn or cheese ceilings may contain asbestos.
• Boiler rooms – used to insulate boilers, steam pipes, and furnace ducts
• Cement – asbestos was traditionally mixed with cement to increase its resistance to fire and heat.
• Roofs – asbestos was used in cement roofing, shingles, and siding
• Tiles – used in floor tile installation as an adhesive
• Water tanks – used to prevent heat loss from water tanks
• Garden sheds – primarily used to roof garden sheds

Why Asbestos should be Removed

The harmful effects of continuous exposure to asbestos are well documented. Some of the diseases that occur due to asbestos exposure include;

1. Asbestosis

This is a long-term, non-cancerous, and progressive lung disease that occurs due to continuous exposure to asbestos particles. Inhaled asbestos particles often settle deeply in the lungs, causing irritation and scarring of the lung tissue. This results in chronic cough, difficulty in breathing, and shortness of breath. Asbestosis may manifest after 10 or 20 years.

2. Mesothelioma

Asbestos is naturally a carcinogenic substance and can cause this rare and aggressive cancer. Mesothelioma often occurs due to lengthy asbestos exposure in work environments, especially if you work or live close to asbestosis factories. Unlike asbestosis, mesothelioma can take up to 30 years to manifest.

3. Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is a terminal condition caused by prolonged exposure to asbestos fibers. The risks of developing lung cancer increase with increased exposure to these fibers. In most cases, patients develop asbestos-related lung cancer after 15 to 20 years.

With the risks of being predisposed to these life-threatening health conditions, it is prudent to remove asbestos from your home. However, asbestos removal is a hazardous undertaking, as employees and occupants of the property can inhale these microscopic fibers. This is why you should hire professional restoration service providers.

Also read: Everything your need to know about Smart Home Technology

The Asbestos Removal Process

The asbestos removal process is a complicated and fragile process that only experts should handle. It involves the following steps;

• Inspection and testing – before asbestos abatement, removal experts, begin by inspecting and testing various building materials to confirm the presence of these particles. This helps confirm that asbestos abatement is a necessity.
• Planning for removal – asbestos removal process can be planned by the inspector or the professional contractor. The plan should outline step-by-step procedures that guarantee a safe and efficient abatement process.
• Vacating the area – with the plan in place, the next step is isolating the area or rooms with building materials that contain asbestos. This might be your bathroom, kitchen, or chimney. Isolation is often done using plastic sheets or other tools that create temporary –barriers.
• Preparation – there is a lot that goes into preparing for the removal process. Apart from assembling the tools, contractors should provide personal protective equipment, including gloves, a full-face respirator, and a Tyvek suit. Air filtration systems should also run continuously during the abatement process to remove any asbestos particles in the air.
• Demolition – with everything in place, asbestos-containing materials should then be demolished, removed, and carefully disposed of. While there are varying procedures for removing particles from different material types, the general idea is limiting the amount of breakage from the materials. This limits the amount of asbestos released in the air from breaking parts. It is also good to wet such materials to make these fibers heavy and minimize their ability to float in the air. The area should then be sealed appropriately.
• Decontamination – cleaning and decontamination are done after all materials have been removed. Air filtration systems play an important role in decontamination.
• Final inspection and testing – the last step is inspecting and testing the area to ensure that there are no remaining asbestos particles that can harm occupants. Reconstruction should only be done once the inspector has cleared the area.

Hire Professional Restoration Services

Asbestos removal is a risky undertaking that should only be done by experts. Note that asbestos abatement doesn’t always mean removal. According to EPA, asbestos that hasn’t been disturbed or touched isn’t a health hazard and must not necessarily be removed. The fibers only become dangerous if they are disturbed. Therefore, abatement may also include encapsulation or covering with a new layer of paint. Regardless of the situation, hire professional asbestos restoration service providers.