Homes, buildings, schools and even ships built before 1980 often contain asbestos somewhere. This could be in the building’s insulation, the roof or even the old furnace, as an asbestos contractor, such as Nielsen Environmental, can explain. Without disturbance, you may never know that you have asbestos in your home. However, once disturbed, the toxic fibers can lead to exposure. In construction, asbestos used to be common. It was when researchers discovered the link between mesothelioma and other cancers and asbestos that construction workers stopped using it.
Nowadays, asbestos has to be removed. Every state has professionals that are certified to remove asbestos from the home. As a building owner, it can help to understand the process of asbestos removal.
Plan for an Asbestos Inspection
If you recently purchased a home or if you live in a house that was built before 1980, there is a chance that it has asbestos somewhere. If you plan to have any renovations done, you should have an asbestos inspection to be on the safe side. If there are any crumbling walls or cracks that you need to address, this could be enough to send asbestos fibers into the air.
Contact a Professional
Once you find the asbestos professional, you can set up the removal procedure. The inspector can inspect the home and take samples of any materials that need to be tested. If he or she finds any asbestos in the home, then he or she will write you an evaluation of the details where they found it and how bad your case is. Once he or she finishes the inspection, it’s time to think about solutions.
A certified asbestos inspector can make recommendations about how to prevent damage to the asbestos that you haven’t disturbed. Sometimes, he or she will suggest abatement. This is the complete removal of hazardous material. In other cases, the inspector may recommend encapsulation. This is where the area is sealed off so that nothing can disturb the asbestos. Once the removal occurs, you should have another inspection to ensure that all hazardous materials were removed.
Asbestos is dangerous. When left undisturbed it may not cause any health problems. Often, renovations and remodeling will disturb it. if you recently purchased a home or if you aren’t sure that your home ever underwent an asbestos inspection, it is important to have it inspected as soon as possible. Call an asbestos removal contractor to find out how to handle your asbestos problem.
