Asbestos inspection Los Angeles is necessary for buildings constructed in the 1960s and 1970s. Asbestos health was also widely used in drainage and flue pipes, cement sheeting, guttering, roofing, and flexible building boards, clutches, gaskets, and brakes.
Effects of asbestos on health
When you breathe in asbestos fibers, you are more likely to develop lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma. Your risk of contracting these diseases increases with the number of fibers you inhale and the risk of lung cancer from the inhalation of asbestos fibers is also greater in people who smoke. People who contract health complications from inhaling asbestos have been exposed to high asbestos levels for a very long time. The symptoms of the diseases don’t usually appear until about 25 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 you can get asbestos into your body. Tiny asbestos quantities are present in the air all the time and most people breathe them without any health effects. Most people get exposed to very small amounts of asbestos as they go about their lives and don’t develop health problems related to asbestos.
Finding that your workplace or home is made from fibro products doesn’t mean your health is at higher risk. According to studies, asbestos, if left undisturbed in sound conditions, isn’t a significant health risk. This means that you do not need to remove asbestos that is firmly bound in concrete. However, you should take your asbestos to an asbestos testing lab to know whether the concrete contains asbestos or not.
People who have suffered from severe health effects from asbestos exposure have generally worked in either asbestos milling or mining industry worked in industries that are involved in making or installing products made from asbestos or are from families of these people. This means that in all these situations, there was exposure to very high levels of airborne dust, from either clothes of the workers or the processes involved.
Different risks levels from different forms of asbestos
If asbestos fibers are bonded in cement or are in any other stable material, they pose little to no health risk. However, where other bonded asbestos sheeting or fibro that contains asbestos is broken, mishandled or damaged, asbestos fibers can loosen and become airborne hence posing a health risk. Removing or disturbing it unsafely can create a health hazard.
The removal of asbestos
Removing loose asbestos should be done by a licensed person. Accredited removalists of asbestos can be contacted online or you can search them from bodies that regulate asbestos.
Precautions
Whether you are disturbing asbestos for asbestos inspection in Los Angeles or you want to remove it entirely from your property, it is important to avoid disturbing soil or any other materials thought to be contaminated with asbestos. Short-term precautions to reduce exposure include covering with plastic sheeting, spraying with water to prevent dust or soil from becoming airborne, covering children’s toys, and preventing access by pets and/children.