Why is asbestos used in buildings?Asbestos as a material is blessed with many ideal properties needed during construction. When mixed with the concrete it gives additional strength, while a coating of asbestos on steel beams can provide protection from fire. Being resistant to heat, it finds applications in thermal insulation. The construction industry found many uses for the versatile wonder material and used it extensively in various forms in the 1980s.However, health and disposal problems with asbestos were soon identified and asbestos removal was classified as a domain of special asbestos removalists who were trained and equipped to do the task.Why is asbestos harmful?Asbestos has the property of causing changes in normal body cells leading to cancer. This property makes handling of asbestos dangerous. A more immediate health hazard of asbestos however comes from inhalation of asbestos fibres from any damaged part of a construction where asbestos is exposed. This inhalation leads to formation of fibrotic, scar like changes in the lungs on inhalation for long periods of time giving rise to a condition known as “asbestosis”.
Protection from health hazards due to asbestos?
Protection from asbestosis is simple and can be easily applied once any such damage leading to as asbestos fibre release in air is detected or even suspected. The use of masks over mouth and nose can help in filtering out these fibres and decreasing the inhalation of the same. Also, it is advised to wet the damaged surfaces with water as this water covering also helps in reduction of asbestos fibre release into the air.
However, these are temporary means and the problem area should be addressed by a qualified expert, whether it is cracked tiles, exposed pipes or asbestos removal Melbourne North, at the earliest.How to remove asbestos safely?
Although the internet is full of ‘do it yourself’ projects for things as small as fixing a pipe to demolishing a house, when it boils down to performing tasks one should put personal safety before anything else! The removal of asbestos poses threat to the removalist if not done properly and to the people in vicinity due to the release of fibres in the air. A qualified removalist should be hired in case of demolition or renovation of a part or whole of a construction which is thought to have asbestos in any of its components.Hiring a trained removalist is the best way to avoid exposing yourself to asbestos. This will ensure that you are safe and that the harmful asbestos is removed from your space and you are out of danger.