Frederick Jace
Some two thousand years ago, the Romans understood the health issues caused by asbestos. The slaves in Rome suffered from serious health hazards when they started using asbestos for construction projects. The modern world came to know about the effects of asbestos when the government of the UK released an official report.
Soon, the news spread across the globe, and in Australia, asbestos has been banned since December 2003. The use of asbestos is completely prohibited in any industry, especially in the construction sector. Some citizens are still suffering from the after-effects of living in households that had asbestos presence. And many seek agencies that do asbestos removal in Sydney at an affordable price.
Friable asbestos items have been a common component in the commercial and industrial sectors since the late 1800s. It is because asbestos was suitable for fireproofing, insulation, and soundproofing.
How do you explain asbestos and asbestos products?
It is a name given to 6 minerals that are found in nature as bundles of fibres. And this fibre can be separated into thin, long-lasting threads for commercial and industrial purposes.
The asbestos minerals are silicate compounds, which means they have atoms of silicon and oxygen.
Many products had the presence of asbestos in old construction projects such as:
- Vinyl floor tiles
- Fets
- Shingles
- sheeting
- Roofing tars
- Adhesives
- Paints
- Glue
What are the health hazards?
People get exposed to asbestos in communities, the workplace, and their homes. The use of asbestos was so prominent that you could not predict which building or structure has this mineral.
If items containing this mineral are disturbed, small particles of asbestos fibres will be released into the air. And when you breathe in these particles, they get trapped in the lungs and cause inflammation and breathing issues. And that’s why it is classified as a human carcinogen by the health department in many countries.
The mineral is also found in areas nearby many riverbeds. And people are warned from consuming water from it.
In a recent discovery, hundreds of asbestos debris were found across a remote Aboriginal community of Galiwin’ku on Elcho Island, Australia. The report from the Northern Territory government said that the number of asbestos pieces is high, but the health risk is considerably low.
If you are wondering about the presence of asbestos in your home or locality, you can contact an agency that does asbestos removal in Sydney.
Though there are many ways to identify the presence of asbestos in a place, it is highly recommended that you never try to remove those minerals by yourself. Always hire an agency or contractors that are specialized in asbestos removal and have years of experience in removing these hazardous materials.
You don’t need to worry about asbestos in your home if the house was built after the 1990s; if it is made after 2003, there is zero chance of asbestos in the household.
By the 1990s, people were aware of the health issues caused by asbestos—in 2003, the use of this mineral was banned by the Australian government.
You can find the presence of asbestos in the following household items/equipment:
- Vinyl floor tiles
- Roofing materials (flat roofs)
- Siding material
- Plaster
- Fibre cement siding
- Blown-in attic insulation
- The glue that sticks floor tiles to concrete or wood
- Few forms of linoleum
- Window caulking and glazing
- HVAC duct insulation
- Corrugated heavy-duty panels
- Some forms of paint
Now you know where to find the presence of this mineral, the first thing you must do after identifying the mineral is you should hire a firm that removes the asbestos from households.
