Find an Asbestos Removal Contractor you can trust in Flint.

It’s a legal requirement to get an asbestos survey done on non-domestic buildings and public areas of domestic buildings if they were built before 2000. So, if you’re responsible for maintaining one of these types of building, you must find out if an asbestos survey has been conducted, and get one done if it hasn’t.

For domestic properties, you only need to get an asbestos survey done if your home was built before 2000 and you want to do some building work. This is because if any materials containing asbestos are damaged during the work, they could pose a serious health risk, so might need removing first.

However, if you’re worried about asbestos in any parts of your home that are deteriorating, you might want to get an asbestos survey done anyway.

A typical Homebuyer Report or Building Survey Report doesn’t usually involve checking for asbestos. Your surveyor may let you know that there are certain parts of the property that are likely to contain asbestos, but they won’t do any testing. This means that, if you want to be sure about whether a property contains asbestos, you need to get an asbestos survey.

If you find out there’s asbestos in your property, it’s not always necessary to remove it. Asbestos is relatively low-risk if it’s contained in a material. This means that, if the material it’s in is in good condition, it shouldn’t be a problem.

However, if a material containing asbestos is damaged, or you want to remove, sand or drill into it, it’s best to have it removed by a licensed professional.

What Does Asbestos Cause?

The perfect example of a silent killer is asbestos. Wonder why? From the day of exposure, you might not see any symptoms of the asbestos containing material disease till years later and more often than not, these disease are not treatable. And as dangerous at it is, it’s most likely not something you’d think about on a daily basis unless you’ve been affected by this harmful material or probably someone you know has.

Found in rocks and soils, asbestos have been an important material for manufacturers across the globe for numerous reasons. Not only are they exceptional insulation materials in both electrical and buildings, but they’re also flexible and resistant to heat, chemicals as well as electricity. And due to this fact, they represent a very common material that’s used in automotive parts, construction materials as well as textiles.

Asbestos when disturbed and inhaled for a long period of time can significantly increase your risk for diseases such as lung cancer, mesothelioma as well as asbestosis. Smokers are more likely feel a greater impact as cigarette smoke irritates lung passages which makes it a lot more difficult for the lungs to remove asbestos fibres.

Mesothelioma. This is a form of cancer that affects the lining of the lungs as well as the lining surrounding the lower digestive tract. By the time diagnosed, it’s almost always fatal.

Lung Cancer. This asbestos related lung cancer is almost the same with that caused by smoking and other causes.

Abestosis. This is a serious scarring condition of the lung which usually occurs after exposure to asbestos after a lengthy period. It can lead to shortness of breath, and in some cases, can be fatal.

Asbestos fibres are very small, so they’re not possible to identify with the naked eye. However, they’re common in particular materials of a certain age, so you can work out if there are any parts of a building that are likely to contain asbestos.

Start by checking the date that the material you suspect contains asbestos was installed. If it was in 2000 or after then you don’t need to worry, it definitely doesn’t contain asbestos. However, if it was fitted before 2000 it may contain asbestos, particularly if this was between 1940 and 1980.

Materials that used to commonly contain asbestos include ceiling tiles, guttering, soffits, fascia, external cladding and facades, vinyl flooring, artex, cement roofs and insulation.

In recent times, when about to purchase or renovate a building that was constructed before the 1980’s, most homeowners will be particular about knowing whether or not asbestos containing materials are present. Also when a property is being checked, a lot of individuals would want to know the peak years for asbestos to be used in homes.

Modern asbestos production started in the 1800s during the time of industrial revolution, but after some regulation were made to ban some asbestos products and uses in the late 1970’s, the production witnessed a significant drop. The United States was the foremost users of asbestos according to the USGS but this lasted until the 1960’s when it was overtaken by the Soviet Union. In this article, we’ll look at the years of use for asbestos containing materials like pipe insulation, vermiculite as well as wall systems.

✓ Insulation. Asbestos insulation was commonly used in homes with lots of focus on both piping and ductwork. This was started in the year 1908 but was ended between 1915 and 1920 by Air-Cell pipe insulation.

✓ Vermiculite. This refers to a mineral that’s popular for its insulating properties and mostly used as insulation for attics. It possesses a gold to brown kind of appearance and it’s also a pebble material that shimmers in the light. According to the EPA, if this material is suspected in a home it should be assumed to contain asbestos.

✓ Wall Systems. Plaster and drywall are very common wall types that are asbestos containing. And until asbestos was banned both wall systems are said to have asbestos. For example the drywall sheets as well as it’s joint compound both features asbestos from the 1930s to the 1980s.

For some types of asbestos, you are not legally required to use a licensed contractor. However, it’s recommended that you always use one. These contractors will have all the relevant training and knowledge to make sure asbestos is removed safely. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the licensing body.

Asbestos is a perfect example of a silent and hidden killer. The harmful fibre it releases is not only totally invisible to the eye, but also absolutely odourless, therefore can’t be smelt. As a result, you can walk into a room completely filled with asbestos and you still won’t suspect a thing. If you live in an old building ( built before the 1980’s) in the UK, it’s very possible that there’s some asbestos in the house.

Asbestos causes up to 5000 deaths in the UK on a yearly basis. When asbestos materials are disturbed, they release asbestos fibres, which when inhaled can result in lung cancer, asbestosis as well as mesothelioma which are all painful and fatal diseases. And perhaps even more importantly, you won’t notice any symptoms of having these diseases until after several years after your first exposure to asbestos fibres.

Therefore, to reduce these numbers, there’s a crucial need to to know how to identify asbestos so as not to put both ourselves and loved ones at risk.

There are three types of asbestos which includes blue or crocidolite, brown or amosite, and white or chrysotile. So they can easily be identified by their respective colour names, right? Wrong! Asbestos fibres can not be seen with the eye, it can only be detected under a microscope. They’re very tiny and light, and once disturbed and in the air, they can float can days. Asbestos are commonly found in several building materials such as cement products, floor tiles, paints, adhesive, partitions, cladding, insulation, doors and lots more. With its wide acceptability in the past, any building product you can probably think of could contain asbestos.