05/24/2023
ASBESTOS FACTS THAT YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW
• Asbestos is a natural element that can be found in nature and there are several different types of asbestos that someone can be exposed to. This difference is what makes some more hazardous than others, but all asbestos has the potential to be detrimental to human health.
• Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals, which all have in common their eponymous asbestiform habit: i.e. long, thin fibrous crystals, with each visible fiber composed of millions of microscopic “fibrils” that can be released by abrasion and other processes.
• When someone inhales asbestos fibers, some of the small fibers make it into the lungs where they become lodged. With prolonged exposure or an exposure to a high concentration of asbestos, the amount in the lungs build up to the point it can cause cancer and mesothelioma.
• According to the EPA, Asbestos has also been used in a wide range of manufactured goods. Mostly in building materials (roofing shingles, ceiling and floor tiles, paper products, and asbestos cement products), friction products (automobile clutch, brake, and transmission parts), heat-resistant fabrics, packaging, gaskets, and coatings.
• There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The potential for damage to be done to the body is present with a single exposure and that risk only becomes increasingly compounded with every repeat exposure and buildup.
• Asbestos-containing materials that aren’t damaged or disturbed are not likely to pose a health risk. Usually the best thing is to leave asbestos-containing material alone if it is in good condition. Generally, asbestos-containing material that is in good condition and will not be disturbed will not release asbestos fibers” (EPA).
• Most cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed years after the exposure to asbestos happened. In some cases, mesothelioma does not appear for more than 40 or 50 years. This makes is difficult to diagnose because doctors may not immediately connect the symptoms to an exposure that happened so long ago.
• “The human health effects from long-term unsafe asbestos exposure are well documented. Asbestos fibers are easily inhaled and carried into the lower regions of the lung where they can cause fibrotic lung disease (asbestosis) and changes in the lining of the chest cavity (pleura)” (OSHA).
• Many surprising jobs and careers can put people at risk for asbestos exposure- teachers, doctors, librarians, construction workers, landscapers, welders, plumbers, firefighters, demolition crew, and even law officials.
If you think you may have asbestos in your home or place of business, remember rule #1….Don’t disturb it. Instead, call e.h.c. associates for testing, and abatement services.