ASBESTOS IN YOUR HOME - Many compound materials benefit from asbestos because of its taut fiber form. When materials with asbestos are left alone, as manufactured and pressed or mixed together, asbestos can be pretty hard to break down. Using any process or pressure to cut, sand or dig into asbestos-containing parts, however, releases dust shards of fiber particles, launching the asbestos into the air. When the particles are breathed in, they are either subsequently released through exhaling, or they lodge themselves into the organs and air passageways, often causing lung diseases and abnormal, cancerous growths. Mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis are linked to asbestos exposure in the home and workplace.

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Asbestos In Your Home
How do you find out if there's asbestos in your home?
BY BRISTER RIENO

People who were old enough to use a hair dryer in the 1970s may remember their first exposure to the fear of asbestos when their dryers were recalled as a health threat [source: CPSC].

Others may have grown up with warnings about staying away from attic insulation or old pipe wrapping in basements, but are these concerns dated now that the world is more aware of the dangers of asbestos exposure?

Asbestos has been a part of the modern built world for more than a century because it is flame resistant, very long lasting and an excellent insulating material.

Many compound materials benefit from asbestos because of its taut fiber form.

When materials with asbestos are left alone, as manufactured and pressed or mixed together, asbestos can be pretty hard to break down.

Using any process or pressure to cut, sand or dig into asbestos-containing parts, however, releases dust shards of fiber particles, launching the asbestos into the air.

When the particles are breathed in, they are either subsequently released through exhaling, or they lodge themselves into the organs and air passageways, often causing lung diseases and abnormal, cancerous growths.

Mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis are linked to asbestos exposure in the home and workplace, though since the late 1970s, bans and regulations have helped lessen the risks [sources: EPA, CPSC].

Is asbestos just an old concern, or is it a continuing, modern problem? Could there be asbestos in your home?

Maybe for sure, maybe not much and maybe none at all, but it's worth brushing up on the subject.

Air Apparent?

If your home was built in 1980 or later, it isn't likely to have asbestos components, and if it does, they would have to be labeled accordingly.

Homes built before the 1970s likely do have asbestos in their construction materials, which might include the following:

·          insulation: attic and wall insulation in houses built from 1930 through 1950 (and homes with vermiculite insulation up through 1990)

·          heat-proofing surrounds: boards and wall and floor treatments around wood-burning stoves and older furnaces

·          heat and water pipes: exterior wraps and adhesives

·          floor and ceiling tiles: in sheet and drop-tile forms

·          roofing and siding: shingles and sheets with composites of concrete and asphalt

·          wall and ceiling treatments: thick, decorative or soundproofing coatings that resemble popcorn-like grooves or dried foam cottage cheese

·          walls, corners and gaps: joint compounds and patching materials commonly contained asbestos [source: EPA]

These are just some of the most common areas where asbestos products were used, and unfortunately, checking to see if it's in your own home isn't a matter of just eyeing the sources.

Asbestos isn't identifiable by sight alone, and it's odorless and unlabeled if used before bans were instituted.

Only testing at the microscopic level confirms the presence of asbestos, and this should always be left to a trained professional.

If you suspect that your home, whether a rental or owned property, has hidden asbestos or areas of asbestos dust, it's best to leave everything as is -- the EPA even advises against dusting or vacuuming suspect areas [source: EPA].

Most of all don't do anything abrasive to the area that could cause the release of particles if no dust is visible [source: EPA].

Contact an asbestos professional who can test and recommend ways to remove or cover and contain the asbestos materials if found.

Maybe you're fearful that asbestos is hanging out where you live. How worried should you be?

RELIABLE INFO

Many Web sites on asbestos appear to be backed by institutions, medical associations or academic centers but are in fact linked to law firms. While some of the information may be well researched, turning to official sources like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institutes of Health, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Occupational Safety & Health Administration will provide less biased data.

Adios Asbestos?

Living with asbestos is a reality for many who reside in older homes, but with containment, covering and sealing -- or encapsulation -- or removal by a professional, the risk of harmful exposure is low [source: EPA].

A joint paper by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the American Lung Association (ALA) summarizes the health risks as being greatest for those with heavy exposure in factory settings or those involved in demolition work, mining and milling.

Those exposed to small amounts in ordinary life are a lot less likely to develop health problems [sources: CPSC, EPA].

In fact, the best thing to do with asbestos material in good condition is to leave it alone [source: CPSC].

Some individuals exposed to asbestos never develop health problems, but as many as 200 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma linked to asbestos in the United States each year [source: EPA].

Lung cancer and asbestosis, which is mostly fatal, is considered a high-exposure outcome for those who breathed in prolonged and significant amounts of asbestos [source: EPA].

And the EPA emphasizes that asbestos-related lung cancer is much lower for the general population and asbestosis is "rarely caused by neighborhood or family exposure" [source: EPA].

Most people in the United States can breathe a sigh of relief that asbestos contact will be minimal if asbestos in their home is left undisturbed or left to the professionals to remove or contain.

ALWAYS ASK AN EXPERT

National, regional and local agencies have ongoing efforts to prevent asbestos-related illnesses and continued exposure.

To find assistance in your area, check the EPA's regional and state asbestos contacts.

Terri BrisenoAnalytic Specialist, Health Informatics

https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/repair/how-do-you-find-asbestos-in-home.htm

Mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis are linked to asbestos exposure in the home and workplace.

ASBESTOS - Asbestos is found in heat and acoustic insulation, fire proofing, and building materials like roofing and flooring; in older automotive parts like disc brake pads and drum brake linings, which used asbestos because of its friction properties. Natural weathering or human disturbance can break down naturally occurring asbestos into fibers that can be inhaled and cause respiratory diseases. By covering naturally occurring asbestos with clean soil or planting grass, you can reduce your exposure.

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Asbestos

How Asbestos Works

 BY TIFFANY CONNORS 

If asbestos is such a danger, and we've been removing it since the 1980's, shouldn't it all be gone by now?

You would think so, but even though it seems like we've had a lot of time to get it out of our homes, schools and workplaces, asbestos has been around for 3,000 years, so it's had a head start.

Getting rid of asbestos isn't as easy as changing your clothes. Besides, it's not such a villain as long as it isn't disturbed.

Asbestos hasn't been produced in the United States since 2002.

However, the United States still imports approximately 3,000 tons per year, and there are plenty of older buildings where asbestos still resides [source: Asbestos Project Plan].

Why? Because removing it can be more dangerous than leaving the original substance intact; if it's properly sealed and left undisturbed, asbestos doesn't pose a danger to us.

Asbestos is in fact a naturally occurring substance, so we're all exposed to some degree. The difference between most people and the danger zone is the amount of exposure.

With asbestos, the problem comes when we inhale the fibers.

And while we exhale a lot of them right back out of our system, some of the fibers can stick around and scratch our lungs, causing scarring and inflammation that can lead to a variety of serious respiratory diseases.

These fibers, which are used in construction materials because of their durability, build up over time and are strong enough to stay in our lungs forever.

So even though we may feel fine now, the same fibers we breathe in today could give us cancer 30 years from now.

But what exactly is asbestos? And how can we protect ourselves and our loved ones from its dangers? In this article, we'll explore asbestos and what you need to know.

What Does Asbestos Look Like?

In most commercial forms, asbestos looks like attic insulation -- a ball of thick fuzz. The individual asbestos fibers that are released into the air are microscopic.

The U.S. government defines asbestos as a naturally occurring group of fibrous minerals that are very strong, can be woven, and resist heat and most chemicals [source: EPA].

The current federal definition includes these classes of asbestos:

·   Chrystotile

·   Amphibole (with subsets:crocidolite, amosite, anthophyllite, tremolite and actinolite)

While both chrystotile and amphibole are known to cause respiratory diseases, the more durable, thinner strands of amphibole asbestos are considered more dangerous and more likely to cause mesothelioma (a form of cancer caused by asbestos) because they tend to stay in the lungs longer [source: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry].

However, the more flexible chrystotile asbestos is used in about 95 percent of all asbestos in commercial products and is still considered carcinogenic [source: Encyclopedia Britannica].

Asbestos has been used for thousands of years, dating as far back as the ancient Greeks.

Its durability and ability to withstand heat and erosion made it attractive to builders, and it was even used in some clothing because of its fire -resistant qualities. Modern asbestos production began in 1868 through mining deposits [source: Encyclopedia Britannica].

Reports of long-term harmful effects of asbestos exposure began appearing in the 1970s, although dangers associated with asbestos were suspected decades earlier.

In 1989, the U.S. government issued a ban on products containing asbestos. This regulation was overturned in 1991, but certain products were still banned, as were "new uses" of asbestos [source: EPA].

Where is Asbestos?

The fact is, we're all exposed to asbestos, although usually in such small quantities that it poses no threat.

The typical air concentration of asbestos fibers is 0.00001 to 0.0001 fibers per milliliter.

In comparison, U.S. workplaces are limited to exposing employees to 0.1 fiber/mL, and significant exposure is considered years of exposure to 0.125 to 30 fibers/mL [source: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry].

In nature, the fibrous asbestos is embedded in rocks, most commonly ultramafic rock (a type of igneous rock), which is found in much of California and near fault zones. Not all ultramafic rock contains asbestos, but all ultramafic rock has the potential to contain veins of asbestos [source: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry].

Mining areas in the eastern United States have also been discovered to contain naturally occurring asbestos.

To obtain the asbestos for use -- and to make it airborne -- the rock must be crushed to release the fibers.

In commercial products, asbestos is still found in heat and acoustic insulation, fire proofing, and building materials like roofing and flooring.

Additionally, asbestos can be found in older automotive parts like disc brake pads and drum brake linings, which used asbestos because of its friction properties [source: Asbestos Project Plan].

Banned new products include flooring felt, cement shingles (also known as asbestos siding), and corrugated, commercial and specialty paper. However, older material that used asbestos can still be found widely [source: EPA].

Asbestos testing should be conducted by licensed government agencies, and trained asbestos abatement professionals should be the only ones performing the removal.

In some cases, it's safer to seal the asbestos in rather than remove it.

For more information on getting asbestos out of your house, see Is it safer to remove asbestos from a building or leave it there?

In cases of emergency asbestos exposure – when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans or the fall of the World Trade Center, for example -- the best thing to do is get out of the area (keeping your mouth and nose covered with a wet cloth when possible) and contact your state and local agencies or the Environmental Protection Agency for more information on proper testing, removal or containment.

Now that you know what and where to look for asbestos, we'll talk about warning signs to watch out for if you've been exposed to asbestos.

WHAT IF I FIND NATURALLY OCCURRING ASBESTOS?

Natural weathering or human disturbance can break down naturally occurring asbestos into fibers that can be inhaled and cause respiratory diseases.

If you live in an area where naturally occurring asbestos has been disturbed, avoid unpaved surfaces, and wet any dirt before digging [source: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry].

By covering naturally occurring asbestos with clean soil or planting grass, you can reduce your exposure. And be sure to contact your local government for safe removal [source: EPA].

Diseases and Symptoms Associated with Asbestos Exposure

So you've been exposed to asbestos; how likely are you to get sick? Diseases from asbestos exposure take a long time to appear.

The typical range is 10 to 40 years after exposure, although it depends on the type of illness as well as other factors, such as whether the patient is a smoker (which increases the probability of the person developing respiratory ailments).

The concentration, duration and frequency of asbestos exposure also has a hand in determining your chances of developing an illness.

The long and thin fibers of amphibole asbestos are more likely to reach the lower airways and inflame the lungs and pleura, the membrane that lines the lungs [source: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry].

The three most common illnesses associated with asbestos exposure are lung cancer. Asbestosis and mesothelioma. All three share the common symptom of difficulty breathing.

Lung cancer causes the most deaths due to asbestos exposure, although asbestos exposure is not the only culprit [source: EPA].

Common symptoms include coughing, chest pains, hoarseness and anemia.

Asbestosis is the result of asbestos scratching and scarring lung tissue. It usually shows up the earliest of all the respiratory ailments -- typically 10 to 20 years following exposure [source: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry].

A common symptom is a dry, cracking sound in the lungs while inhaling.

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that affects the pleura. The majority of mesothelioma cases are due to asbestos exposure [source: Mesothelioma].

It may take years to develop, and may resemble pneumonia. Some common symptoms include chest pains and a persistent cough.

If you think you may have an asbestos-related respiratory illness, consult a pulmonary physician immediately.

https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/household-safety/asbestos.htm