Where Can You Find Asbestos and What You Should Do About It |
Posted: August 27, 2018 |
Asbestos was once a very popular material in Australia’s construction industry. This mineral is very versatile and affordable to mine. Furthermore, it is also flexible, fire resistant and doesn’t easily decay. To simply put, asbestos brought remarkable development to construction industry. Australia became one of the highest users of asbestos in the world and more than 3,000 construction products were made with this mineral. Unfortunately, it was later discovered that asbestos was hazardous for human health and asbestos exposure was the sole cause of various lungs diseases, such as asbestosis and mesothelioma. The bad news is, when that discovery was found in the early 1980s, almost all buildings in Australia had been built with asbestos-containing material. The number of cases of asbestos-related diseases skyrocketed. Now, Australia is in the second position of the highest rate of mesothelioma deaths in the whole wide world. Even though the government has completely banned asbestos in 2003, it doesn’t mean that the country is free from the health risks brought by asbestos. The only way the people can do to avoid asbestos related disease is by avoiding exposure to products containing this mineral. Due to this situation, maybe you have these questions in mind: “Where can I find asbestos? What should I do if I find it?” To answer those questions, you can read this explanation below. Where Can I Find Asbestos?
Asbestos was a highly sought-after building material from the early 1900s up to the mid-1980s. It means, if your house was built before the mid-80s, there is a huge possibility that it was built with asbestos-containing material. Asbestos mining in Australia was stopped in 1984. Unfortunately, some manufacturers still produced materials containing asbestos up until the early 90s. Therefore, it is safe to assume that buildings that were built between the mid-80s to early 90s also still utilized asbestos-containing materials. Asbestos is combined into more than 3,000 construction materials. Due to its excellent insulating properties, asbestos is often used as internal wall sheeting, carpet underlays, and also attic and pipe insulation. Furthermore, it is also very common to find asbestos in ceiling panels, fences, brick cladding and even paint. How to Identify Asbestos Besides “Where can I find asbestos?” another question that many people often ask to avoid asbestos exposure is “How do I identify asbestos?” Unfortunately, there is no way to identify asbestos with naked eyes. If you live in an old house built before the 90s, it is advised to assume that there is asbestos in your house and take necessary precaution. You should stay away from the suspected area and prevent any activities that can release the airborne into the air. If you really want to identify the presence of asbestos in your house, you can send a sample to be tested by National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA). So far, this is the only way to identify the presence of asbestos in an area or product. What Should I Do If I Find Asbestos? If you live in a house that was built before the 90s and suspect Asbestos presence, there is no need to panic. As long as the asbestos-containing material is not disturbed and stay in good condition, it will not pose any risk. Just leave the asbestos alone, seal the area and there is nothing to worry about. If you need to work around asbestos, make sure to avoid using power tools, water blast or other equipment that can damage the sheet and release the dust into the air. If you don’t feel safe living with asbestos inside your home, you have the option to remove it. If you are only removing a maximum of 10 square metres of bonded asbestos, you are permitted to perform the removal by yourself. However, self-removal is actually not recommended due to the huge risks of releasing hazardous particles into the air. Calling a professional removalist is always the best and safest option. But before you call a professional removalist, make sure to check their licence first because WHS Regulations issued two types of asbestos removal licence. Removalists with Class A licence are allowed to remove both friable and non-friable asbestos. Meanwhile businesses that hold Class B licence are only permitted to remove asbestos in non-friable or bonded forms.
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