Asbestos Found During Home Renovation

Asbestos Found During Home Renovation

Here are guidelines on how to remove asbestos when remodeling a house

1. Work Safely

Ensure that you wear the right approved Personal Protective Equipment . These include a mask, a hat, a pair of gloves, overalls and safety goggles.

Never smoke, eat or drink at the site. This ensures that you don’t inhale or swallow any asbestos dust. Thoroughly wash your hands and face using enough water and soap before you take your meals and when you are done working for the day.

2. Inform People

Let your family and neighbors know that you are removing a harmful substance. Cordon the affected area until the entire job is done including cleanup. This will prevent the spreading of harmful materials to unaffected areas.

3. Prepare The Area

Lay plastic sheets under the working area to avoid contaminating the ground.

Close all windows, doors, and vents to prevent dust from getting into your house. Make sure to seal off areas that the dust can seep through like beneath doors.

Ensure that children’s toys are not near the site.

4. Cleaning up

Dampen all asbestos containing materials and stack them cautiously in sealable plastic bags. Ensure that the bags are clearly labeled as toxic waste. Don’t rub the materials against each other as this may cause the release of fibers.

5. Disposal

Ensure that all asbestos containing materials are disposed of only in areas designated for such waste. Finding a company that is certified to conduct asbestos removal in Sydney is the first step.

Asbestos sheds its health dangers when the materials containing it start to deteriorate. In fact, some studies have shown that asbestos, when not disturbed in their location, could not inflict harm. However, there are still studies that stress the possibilities of the asbestos fibers are becoming airborne even when its location is left untouched.

A particular study revealed that majority of homeowners knows that asbestos could be present in their homes. However, they are unaware of what materials could contain them and where they could be. Some of the most common materials that might contain asbestos include a wide range of home construction materials such as cement corrugated roofing, flexible building boards, and brick claddings among others.

Some decades ago, it was believed that only those persons who worked directly with asbestos materials could contract asbestos-related diseases. Persons like millers, miners, and construction workers are among those who had the highest statistics of asbestos-related diseases and deaths recorded. Nonetheless, with the knowledge that asbestos fibers can be airborne.

Studies found out immediate family members of those who worked as asbestos miners also developed asbestos-related diseases in the long run. Wives of miners who used to wash clothes of their partners were those with the highest cases of asbestos-related diseases through indirect exposure.

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