Asbestos Effects on Human Health

Asbestos is a natural occurring mineral made of tiny microscopic crystals. It is supple and pliable, heat-resistant, making it a good insulation for building materials.  But it is also a powerful carcinogen and its use had been banned in all but a few industries. For the past 150 years, mining and manufacturing asbestos have released large quantities of the mineral to the environment, giving a major concern on asbestos effects to human health and immediate asbestos abatement.  Getting rid of it will take more than just plastic bags garbage trucks to haul it.  This is the challenge of the 21st century.

Concentration and Length of Exposure

The concentration of asbestos in the air is one of the major risk factors of asbestos exposure. The more asbestos you inhale, the greater the risk of developing an asbestos-related disease, this is the dose response relationship curve where asbestos follows. Medical record findings on asbestos exposure are mostly common and associated with industries such as; asbestos milling, construction and fireproofing and of course asbestos mining. The workers in these industries are generally exposed to a higher concentration of asbestos. The risk of contracting an asbestos-related disease increases with the length of the exposure to asbestos. Longer the exposure leads to a higher cumulative dose and therefore a higher risk of becoming ill.

Asbestos Characteristics:

Basically, the risk of getting asbestos-related lung diseases might actually depend on the size, shape and chemical makeup of the asbestos fibers. Asbestos is classified into six different varieties such as: amosite, chrysotile, tremolite, crocidolite, anthophyllite and actinolite. The chrysotile fibers are found to be less sharp and curly and could pose fewer threats compared to the other types. The crocidolite and amosite are of jagged, very thin and long fibers which have the size and shape mostly active in producing tumors. But asbestosis and lung cancers have also occurred on patients exposed to crocidolite, chrysotile, anthophyllite and amosite.

You find asbestos on your homes:

There are old tiles that contain dangerous asbestos. Asbestos was used once on different building materials for the home including roof shingles, paneling and floor tiles. Because of its link to mesothelioma, a lung disease, asbestos has become an illegal building material.

Tile installed in the 1970s or even earlier may have asbestos material. To remove such tiles must be done in a proper way preventing exposure and danger to you and others. You can check your local building regulations department for rules in your area whether homeowners are allowed to remove asbestos material in your household.

Instructions on removing asbestos material and tiles on your homes:

1. Remove all clothes, movable objects and furniture from the room. Drape or cover any immovable objects with polyethylene sheeting. Seal the drape with duct tape and prevent contamination on the objects.

2. Turn off the air system, cover or drape all vents in the room using polyethylene sheeting. Use duct tape to seal the drapes.

3. Cover the doorways with polyethylene sheeting and seal the sheeting with duct tape. For access in and out of the room, cut a slit down the sheeting by using a pair of scissors.

4. Fill a 10-gallon plastic bucket with 1 cup of liquid dish soap and mix 5 gallons of warm water. Mix the soapy solution. Use a 5-gallon garden pump sprayer and pour the solution to it.

5. Spray solution liberally over the floor to loosen the tiles while it prevents asbestos fibers from releasing into the air. Leave the solution for two hours to soak into the tiles.

6. Begin removing tiles by wedging a putty knife underneath the edges of a tile. Start at the doorway. Using the putty knife, pop the tile loose and gently pry it up. Avoid breaking or damaging the tile. Then place the tile in a waste box lined with polyethylene sheeting.

7. Finish removing the remaining tiles with the same method. Then seal the waste boxes with duct tape when all is done.

8. Then spray the solution onto the sub-floor to soften the remaining adhesive while it also prevents asbestos fibers from releasing into the air. Then scrape off the softened adhesive by using a plastic floor scraper and remove the scrapings to a box and seal it with duct tape.

9. Fill another 3-gallon plastic bucket with warm water. Soak a clean rag in the water. Using the damp rag, wipe the asbestos dust from all tools and surfaces in the room. Rinse the cloth frequently in the water and refill the bucket to prevent reapplying asbestos fibers to the surfaces.

10. After the room is fully processed, remove and place the polyethylene sheets, disposable items and your clothing in waste boxes. The seal the waste boxes with duct tape. Then remove the tools and indispensable items from the room.  When the job is done, you have eradicated the danger of asbestos effects to human health.