Asbestos Danger
Asbestos Danger
Asbestos is a type of mineral fiber that is often used as an additive to a variety of products. It is used to strengthen and to provide heat insulation because it is heat resistant. Some of the industrial products made with asbestos include the following: roofing tars, felts, shingles and siding; fireproofing; gaskets; plasters and stuccos; vinyl floor tiles, adhesives, ceiling tiles and sheeting; mud and texture coats; clutch plates; brake pads and shoes; fire blankets; putty; and acoustical ceilings
Indeed, the uses of asbestos are many. However, as early as 1898, the United Kingdom's Chief Inspector of Factories, in his Annual Report, informed Parliament about asbestos dangers – that is, the microscopic particles of asbestos present in the air.
In 1906, the first asbestos deaths in British factories were confirmed by a British Parliamentary Commission. It appears that the asbestos fibers, when inhaled, can enter the lungs and cause complications and diseases, such as asbestosis (scarring of the lung tissue), mesothelioma (cancer of the mesothelial lining of the lungs), and cancer of the larynx, stomach, pharynx, and colorectal area.
As a result of these known asbestos dangers, the use of the mineral in industries had to be stopped. Still, many of the buildings and homes built before or in the 1970s used asbestos, so the general stoppage of its use in industries does not necessarily free you from asbestos dangers.
Phase I of Environmental Assessment of Buildings often include an asbestos check to determine if a building or a house uses materials containing asbestos. Some common products that may be considered as a source of asbestos dangers include:
* Steam Pipes, Furnace Ducts and Boilers
Constructions of this type made in the 1970s are insulated with blankets or paper tapes made from asbestos. An asbestos danger may arise if these materials are removed improperly, damaged or repaired.
* Resilient Floor Tiles, Vinyl Sheet Flooring and Adhesives
Resilient floor tiles are made with a combination of asphalt, rubber and vinyl asbestos. These, along with vinyl sheet flooring and adhesives, may cause asbestos danger when the fibers are released in the air through scraping or sanding. Moreover, the back of the sheet during removal may also cause asbestos danger.
* Cement Sheet, Paper and Millboard
These materials are used for insulating the furnaces and woodburning stoves and thus contain asbestos. When repairing or removing these appliances, asbestos danger occurs as the fibers are released in the air. There can also be asbestos danger if you cut, tear, sand, drill or saw the insulation.
Most construction materials today no longer use asbestos and instead use other alternatives in order to avoid asbestos danger.
More Articles
Acoustic Asbestos Ceiling Removal
Asbestos How To Be Careful At Home
Asbestos Management Schools And Workplaces
More Articles
... that the team does is acquire samples from suspected items. Afterwhich, they head straight to the laboratory and perform analysis under the magnifying lens of a microscope. All the experiments are regarded positive unless not proven. However, all of the methods are exclusively for the Oklahoma State University ...
... mesothelial cells. Overtime and if left untreated, the damage may result in cancer. The problem with asbestos is that they are difficult to detect. It would take years from the first exposure to asbestos fibers before the person affected will start to develop an asbestos-related disease such as asbestos ...
... home as they contain asbestos additives. If your house was built and painted before 1977, there is a good chance the paints used contained asbestos. * Gas-fired fireplaces. Gas-fired fireplaces use artificial ashes and embers in order to create the illusion of a true wood fireplace. These ashes and embers ...
Mesothelioma Asbestos Lung Cancer
... in the tissues of cells that form a streak in major organs such as heart, lungs and stomach. When an individual is poisoned by inhaling the filaments of a fibrous mineral, the mesothelial membrane is infected. Once that building block is contaminated, it dries up the fluid eventually leading to the maturity ...
... meeting with your lawyer, you can ask him questions about certain aspects of asbestos litigation that you don t understand. A good lawyer should be more than willing to give you the details of a WSIB asbestos claim process. Investigate To better prepare for your case, your asbestos lawyer will need to ...