Asbestos: The Risks During Demolition

By Author: Bryson Kaleb
Total Articles: 194
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Intro

In the 20th century, as the demand for new houses in suburban areas grew, so did the need for innovative new materials that could be used for construction. The early part of the century saw the abundance of many convenient materials that were easy to mass produce and install, such as lead pipes.

At the time, however, no one knew of the health risks these materials would pose to the American public as a result, and it wasn’t until decades later that some of these innovations were found to be responsible for serious chronic health effects. Among the worst and most infamous of these materials was asbestos.

What Is Asbestos?

Asbestos is the name of a group of six naturally occurring silicate minerals that are composed of small fibrous crystals. These minerals were found to be heat and fire resistant, and they made excellent insulation. On top of being used for walls, asbestos was widely used as a pipe insulant and a fire-retardant; it also became an ingredient in many other industrial products, such as cement sheets and brake pads.

In the three decades leading up to the seventies, a growing ...
... number of health risks were found to be positively linked to asbestos exposure, and in 1970, regulations were introduced to restrict, but not ban, its use.

What are The Health Risks of Asbestos Exposure?

Asbestos fibers are microscopic; they are prone to causing a number of pulmonary disease if they are inhaled. Initially, asbestos insulation tends to stay intact without much disturbance. However, materials containing asbestos eventually become brittle, and the slightest disturbances can cause flaking asbestos to release airborne fibers.

When asbestos fibers are breathed in, they are prone to causing lung cancers, the most common of which are mesothelioma, which affects the lining of the chest and abdominal cavity; and asbestosis, which is a physical scarring of lung tissue. Although these occur less often, asbestos can also be responsible for laryngeal and ovarian cancers.

In addition to the lungs, asbestos can affect the pleura - the sac surrounding the lungs and other organs - causing pleuritis, pleural plaques, effusions, and diffuse pleural thickening. Each year, approximately 90,000 people die from asbestos-related diseases, with 39,000 of these deaths occurring in the U.S. alone (since, unlike many countries, the U.S. does not ban its use).

What Is the Likelihood of Exposure?

Although asbestos has largely been absent in use in household insulation for fifty years, it is still a widely used material in several industries. Miners, millers, shipyard workers, electricians, boilermakers, and power plant workers are among those at risk of exposure. In addition, those who work around asbestos can cause secondary exposure to other members of their household, most commonly by washing clothes.

Homes built before the 1970s that have not since been renovated carry a high risk of releasing airborne asbestos, usually by agitating old pipes, boilers insulated with asbestos blankets, or walls that are being torn down.

What Can You Do About It?

If your house is particularly old and you plan to upgrade any of its structural components, it is strongly advised that you consult an environmental remediation company with proper training, equipment, and processes for assessing and addressing the problem of asbestos in a home. Any DIY projects should not be undertaken in these houses.

Environmental remediation companies are OSHA trained and authorized, and their methods are approved by both the EPA and the Department of Transportation. A simple consultation can be the difference between life and death for your family in an asbestos-insulated house.

Alliance-Enviro is an environmental company that specializes in services such as mold remediation, asbestos abatement, demolition services, dryer duct cleaning, HVAC duct cleaning, lead paint removal, trauma clean up, etc. in Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, San Bernardino, Sacramento, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, and Santa Barbara. For more information, visit https://info.alliance-enviro.com/blog.