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Asbestos Information
What Is Asbestos?
Is Asbestos Dangerous?
Are All products With Asbestos A Health Risk?
Do All People Exposed To Asbestos, Develop
Asbestos Related Disease?
What Are Asbestos-Containing Products?
How Can I tell If I Have Asbestos In My Home?
If Asbestos Is Found In My Home, What Should I Do?
What Is
Asbestos?
Asbestos is a mineral fiber found
in rocks, of naturally occurring silicate minerals that can be
separated into fibers. There are several kinds of asbestos fibers, all
of which are fire resistant and not easily destroyed or degraded by
natural processes. The fibers are strong, durable, and resistant to
heat and fire. They are also long, thin and flexible, so that they can
even be woven into cloth, because of these qualities, asbestos has
been used in thousands of consumer, industrial, maritime, automotive,
scientific and building products.
![[picture of asbestos containing pipe insulation]](http://www.ainspect.com/CMContent/Asbestos_Testing/asbestos-pipe.jpg)
The above photo shows a typical asbestos
insulated heating pipe found in older homes.
During the twentieth century, some 30
million tons of asbestos have been used in industrial sites, homes,
schools, shipyards and commercial buildings in the United States.
There are several types of asbestos fibers, of which three have been
used for commercial applications: (1) Chrysotile, or white asbestos,
comes mainly from Canada, and has been very widely used in the US. It
is white-gray in color and found in serpentine rock. (2) Amosite, or
brown asbestos, comes from southern Africa. (3) Crocidolite, or blue
asbestos, comes from southern Africa and Australia.
Is Asbestos
Dangerous?
Asbestos has been shown to cause
cancer of the lung and stomach according to studies of workers and
others exposed to asbestos. There is no level of exposure to asbestos
fibers that experts can assure is completely safe. Some asbestos
materials can break into small fibers which can float in the air and
these fibers can be inhaled. The tiny fibers are so small they can not
be seen with the naked eye. They can pass through the filters of
normal vacuum cleaners and get back into the air. Once inhaled,
asbestos fibers can become lodged in tissue for a long time. After
many years cancer or mesothelioma can develop.
Are All products With Asbestos A
Health Risk?
No. A health risk exists only when
asbestos fibers are released from the material or product. Soft,
easily crumbled asbestos containing material has the greatest
potential for asbestos release and therefore has the greatest
potential to create health risks.
Do
All People Exposed To Asbestos, Develop Asbestos Related Disease? No.
Most people exposed to small amounts of asbestos do not develop any
related health problems. Health studies of asbestos workers and
others, however, show that the chances of developing some serious
illnesses, included lung cancer, are greater after exposure to
asbestos.
What Are
Asbestos-Containing Products?
What is common to many
asbestos-containing products is that they were (are) used to contain
heat (i.e. thermal insulation.) This was the main reason for their
use. It is impossible to list all of the products that have, at one
time or another, contained asbestos. One of the most common products
asbestos is found in, is in the insulation material found on heating
pipes and ducts of homes built before 1960.
Some of the other common
asbestos-containing products are insulating cement, insulating block,
asbestos cloth, gaskets, packing materials, thermal seals, refractory
and boiler insulation materials, transite board, asbestos cement pipe,
fireproofing spray, joint compound, vinyl floor tile, ceiling tile,
mastics, adhesives, coatings, acoustical textures, duct & pipe
insulation for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)
systems, roofing products, insulated electrical wire and panels, and
brake and clutch assemblies.
How Can I tell If I Have Asbestos In
My Home?
 People who have frequently worked with
asbestos (such as plumbers, building contractors or heating
contractors) often are able to make a reasonable judgment about
whether or not a material contains asbestos on a visual inspection.
Many professional home inspectors also can make a reasonable visual
judgment. To be absolutely certain, an industrial hygienist would have
to make the identification.
If
Asbestos Is Found In My Home, What Should I Do?
In most cases, asbestos containing materials are best left
alone.
When it is necessary to disturb
asbestos, you should contact a licensed asbestos contractor. You can
also obtain a copy of Asbestos in the Home published by the
U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (800-638-2772) which
discusses the situation and makes recommendations. Remember, do not
dust, sweep, or vacuum particles suspected of containing asbestos
fibers.
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