Homes built before the 1980s have an extremely high chance of containing asbestos, which could be harmful to the occupants if disturbed or removed incorrectly. According to the Guardian, it’s estimated that your home has around a 50% chance of still containing this harmful material.
Asbestos can be found in ceiling coatings, boiler flue pipes, ducts, floor tiles, cement panels, and various fire protection materials. The reason this material was used so much in construction was because of its fire-retardant properties and inexpensiveness.
But that leads us to this question, “why is it important to hire a professional asbestos removal service?”.
1.Asbestos can be extremely harmful
The prominent reason why you should hire an asbestos removal professional is because of the dangers that are associated with asbestos. When you’re exposed to asbestos fibers, they can attach themselves to your lungs, which gives you a whole hoax of respiratory problems.
Because of this, many people have label asbestos the “silent killer”. There’s sound reasoning for this also, as asbestos is rated the number one cause of work-related deaths in the entire world. That’s the reason why over 60 different countries have completely banned the usage and construction of asbestos.
This reason alone should be enough for anyone to understand why they should hire an asbestos removal service and not undergo the job themselves. Needless to say, if you want more reasoning behind the importance of hiring an asbestos removal service, see below.
2.Increases the chances of cancer
Included within the harmful effects that asbestos can give someone if not removed or exposed correctly is the increased chances of lung cancer. As mentioned above, asbestos fibers attach themselves to the respiratory system and can cause havoc. In this event, it can cause lung cancer, and it’s suggested that around 4% of all lung cancer cases in the United States are directly related to asbestos exposure.
The most dangerous thing about asbestos is that many people develop lung cancer from this building material without even knowing it. This is because asbestos fibers are airborne, and health issues like cancer take 15 to 35 years to develop. Due to the time, it takes to develop, it is hard to feel any health negatives after the exposure, making this material even more harmful.
3.Enhances exposure to asbestos-related diseases
Another reason you should hire a professional asbestos removal service is that it can increase the chances of being exposed to asbestos-related diseases. These diseases can include pleural thickening, asbestosis, pleural plaques, and various other conditions.
Similar to the above, the dangers only occur when removing asbestos and exposing yourself to the fibers within the building material. It doesn’t matter how much asbestos you expose yourself to. No amount of exposure is safe, and this includes short-term exposure.
Hopefully, after reading, you’ve now developed the knowledge of how dangerous asbestos exposure can be if not properly removed. Without a doubt, the cost of removal most definitely pays for itself when you consider your safety and the safety of others.