Is asbestos ceiling tile hiding in your home? Are there asbestos fibers in your flooring tiles, acoustic or decorative ceiling or wall plaster, electrical insulation, or other items used to build your house? It is essential for you to answer these questions before beginning any remodeling jobs. Disturbing any building products that contain asbestos will most likely release asbestos fibers and dust particles into the air where they may be deeply inhaled. This may lead to lung cancer and mesothelioma, a lethal form of lung tumor.
When asbestos dust particles are inhaled into the lungs they are going to cause the body to dispatch immune system cells to fight them. Sadly, while making an attempt to free the body of these cancer-causing fibers the immune cells will die. As the years pass by scar tissue will grow around the lifeless cells, ultimately creating so much scar tissue the lungs will cease to function. Recognizing and carefully removing or encapsulating items created with asbestos should be completed before any remodeling or repair work is started. Asbestos removal cost is not economical, but is a minor price to pay for eradicating this danger in your residence.
Where does hazardous asbestos come from?
Asbestos occurs in nature all over the world. It’s present in an estimated 2/3 of all rocks within the earth’s crust. Naturally-occurring fibers are released into the open air resulting from erosion. A typical individual will breathe in about 15,000 asbestos fibers and dust particles each and every day. Though this appears like a lot it isn’t actually a health hazard. However, being exposed to higher amounts can lead to lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Where are asbestos materials present?
Up until the Nineteen Seventies asbestos was a common ingredient found in items that had been used to build schools, office buildings, and residences. Typical items that contain this toxic mineral are asbestos ceiling tile, vinyl flooring, cement, heating ducts, sprayed-on wall and ceiling plaster, textured paints, blown-in insulation, roof tiles or shingles, sealants, sprayed-in fire-retardant items, and many thousands of additional items. The amount of asbestos used at this time has dramatically decreased due to government warnings and restrictions of usage. However, it still appears in lots of older homes, schools, and office buildings.
What is asbestos ceiling tile?
Asbestos fibers are strong and flexible enough to be made into materials that are fire and flame retardant, in addition to being resistant to heat and electricity. This makes them excellent as an insulating material. In addition they absorb noise effectively which makes them nice for soundproofing rooms. Asbestos ceiling tile was most often used in ceilings that had been dropped or suspended from the roof. This permitted a space to be created between the roof and ceiling tiles which helped reduce noise. This area is also where heating and ventilation ducts are found which may blow harmful fibers all through the building.
Some asbestos ceiling tiles are clearly labeled as containing the toxic mineral and may easily be spotted, whereas others are not. It is very tricky to determine if unmarked ceiling tiles contain asbestos or not. Being clearly labeled is the one way to know for sure if the product contains toxic material. By law, a ceiling tile is assumed to contain asbestos if it was made previous to 1981.
It is exceedingly important not to disturb any possible asbestos-containing items if you intend to remodel or restore items in your residence. The best approach is to have an inspector tell you if it is safe to begin remodeling before the remodeling work begins. If your home contains this toxic material it should be encapsulated or removed. Deadly consequences may be the consequence if correct measures are not followed.