After almost a century of use, it is now very much evident that the material of asbestos can leave a critical impact of your health. When humans are exposed to the toxic substance, it is scientifically proven to cause detrimental health issues to the human body.
And unfortunately, in the case of many construction and building workers up to the 1990s, the longer time spent in the exposure to asbestos, the higher the risk of developing an asbestos related disease.
Asbestos fibres are invisible to the naked eye as they are so small, and there is basically no safe amount of asbestos exposure for anyone. Although low level exposure or little time spent with asbestos comes with lower risks, the fibre itself is still able to get trapped in the lungs when inhaled after just a few seconds. Asbestos related health issues often don’t come to surface for many years, so the key to keeping your health safe from asbestos is to be educated on the crippling effects of asbestos materials for prevention.
There are two main types of asbestos – friable and non-friable. Friable asbestos is when the fibres are loose, and the materials are powdered or can easily be crumpled by hand. Friable asbestos is extremely dangerous as the fibres are already broken up and have become airborne. This means anyone in the environment can easily breathe in these tiny fibres and consequently have their lungs irreversibly damaged.
Non-friable asbestos is not entirely dangerous as long as they are undamaged and sturdy. Often non-friable asbestos refers to asbestos products where it has been mixed with cement or other building materials and the fibres are not undisturbed and won’t reach the airborne stage. Asbestos Removal Company GBAR Group note that if a non-friable asbestos material is damaged, broken, weathered or sawn, it is likely to become friable and will pose a threat to the environment.
When asbestos containing products do become airborne and the fibres of asbestos are released into the air, avoiding inhalation and exposure to the fibres can be near impossible without the right equipment. Unfortunately, the discovery of the link between asbestos and related illnesses took quite a few years, and for many it was too late.
Many builders, construction workers and alike have been exposed to significant amounts of asbestos fibres, leading to debilitating health issues 20-30 years down the track. The tiny fibres are breathed in and become trapped in the lung pockets, creating scarring in the lungs. The effects of asbestos exposure are closely linked to:
- Mesothelioma – which is cancer cells developing around the lungs or intestines, malignant tumours.
- Asbestosis – irreversible scarring of the lung tissues.
- Lung Cancer
- Ovary Cancer
- Pleural Plaques – which is the thickening of the membranes around the lungs.
- Larynx Cancer
Despite Australia banning the product in 2003, there are many houses and buildings that are still containing the dangerous material. GBAR Group, a specialist in asbestos and hazardous waste removal would say that most houses built before the 1990s will likely have asbestos related products in them. It’s important to keep your health safe, and in order to do so these products need to be detected and removed, by a professional.
