Asbestos is a naturally occurring material that we have used for hundreds, if not thousands of years and it wasn’t until the 1970s that we finally connected the dots and found out that asbestos causes serious respiratory disease. The substance was banned here in Australia in the 1980s, yet there are many buildings that contain this harmful substance and if you are planning to renovate your kitchen or re-roof the shed, you had best be sure that asbestos is not present.
The presence of asbestos presents no danger
If, for example, you have some asbestos boarding in your kitchen, it’s probably been there for many years and in its undisturbed form, it is not dangerous at all. This means you don’t have to relocated the family anytime soon, but in the event the material is disturbed, asbestos slivers could be released into the air. A homeowner who is unaware of this might simply break out the crowbar and rip the sheeting out, which would present a serious risk of inhaling asbestos fibre and that could lead to serious health issues.
What we know about asbestos
The physical make-up is long, thin strands, so small, the naked eye can’t see them and when dispersed into the air, you run a risk of inhaling the substance. The problem is, you won’t be aware of this and there might be no outward signs of any breathing issues; indeed, it could be years before you notice anything and by then, the damage has been done. The tiny fibres can become lodged in the lung tissue and they remain there, causing inflammation of the delicate tissue. If you are planning a home renovation and you’re unsure about the presence of this material, there is affordable and safe asbestos removal in Perth asbestos from a leading commercial company that is approved to work with asbestos.
Asbestos testing
When a homeowner contacts the asbestos removal company, they send a technician to carry out testing; it may be that no asbestos was used to build the property, in which case, you can carry on with your renovation, once the tests are completed. If, on the other hand, asbestos is present, the technicians can safely remove all traces and you can carry on with your home improvement.
It simply isn’t worth taking any chances with asbestos and any property built 50 years ago could contain asbestos.
