Find an Asbestos Removal Contractor you can trust in North Tawton.

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.

Can I Remove Asbestos Myself?

If you’re an individual who owns or control buildings, you’re required by the law to carry out asbestos management and reasonably so. Asbestos is a very dangerous and life threatening material which comes with a host of potential diseases related to exposure and therefore, it’s required to be removed from any building once discovered.

Majority of these diseases are not treated and in the UK alone, there has been about 4,500 deaths per year that has been attributable to asbestos exposure. Hence, this explains why this topic is considered crucial to the legislators.

When it comes to asbestos containing materials removal, this should only be done if necessary and ultimately, only by a person who possesses the skills, knowledge and expertise to make sure that the removal is done safely and to the highest possible standards. Exposure to asbestos poses great health risks. And although when left alone the material can only cause little harm, but the real threat comes when disturbed which implies that asbestos removal is a gravely dangerous process if not handle with skill and care.

Due to this fact, the law has taken a very serious stance that only skilled specialist are allowed to handle the task. Therefore, if you want to know if you can undertake this task by yourself, it’s important to consult your local authority to know the stance of the law in your state. We’d however recommend that you do not attempt this by yourself as the dangers are simply too much. The cost of asbestos containing materials removal can be somewhat costly, but when you look at the threat it poses to both you and your loved ones, you’d realize that it’s worth the price.

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.

There are all different types of Asbestos. Some kinds of asbestos, if they are in good condition, may be left as they are or covered up. If there is any danger of the asbestos being damaged and particles entering the air, it should be removed. Once a survey has been completed you will be advised on what course of action to take.

Being a commonly used building material in the 1950’s to about 1990’s, asbestos is very popular back in the days and used for almost every roofing project because of it fire resistant properties. They’re mostly mixed with cement and are known to last for over 4 decades.

Due to the harmful properties found in asbestos, the material was totally banned in the UK since the year 1999. It’s found that when disturbed, asbestos releases some fibres which when inhaled can result in some deadly health conditions such as lung cancer and asbestosis, which are all fatal. These diseases are mostly not detected until several years after the first exposure to the asbestos fibres, which makes them even more deadly. Hence, it’s crucial to know how to identify asbestos roof tiles so you can have them removed by a professional immediately. In this article, we’ll show you what you can look out for to identify asbestos roof tiles. Let’s take a look!

Asbestos roof tiles are typically square shaped and they also generally possess a combination of grey and black colour. Although asbestos can feature a number of colours based on the kind of material you mix with it. In truth, asbestos can be very tricky to identify, when disturbed not only are their fibres totally invisible to the naked eye but they’re also completely odourless. This implies that you may not even be aware that you’re exposed to such harmful material for a prolonged period of time. In order to accurately identify asbestos roof tiles, the only thing you can possibly do is to call in a UKAS accredited laboratory to have them tested. This way, you’ll have a peace of mind knowing the result will point you in the right direction.

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.

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.

The surveyors will check the entire property for signs of asbestos. They may take samples which can be taken away for anaylsis. If they find asbestos, they will inspect its condition, what grade it is and advise you of the best course of action to take.