If you ever had the chance to visit Sydney, you may have encountered well-known tourist attractions like the Elizabeth Bay House. The house was constructed around 1839 and is famous as an “outstanding house in the colony.” It has been appropriately maintained over the years to prevent any damage and preserve its appearance.
However, some houses cannot gain the same treatment as the Elizabeth Bay House resulting in several house problems. One issue that some houses experience is asbestos poisoning, which happens in old houses that are not taken care of all the time. That is why you should contact asbestos testing Sydney right away to determine if your house has any traces of it and remove them as soon as possible.
What You Need to Know About Asbestos
If you are not aware of asbestos, it is a natural mineral composed of at least six occurring naturally silicate minerals. The natural silicate minerals include anthophyllite, crocidolite, actinolite, tremolite, chrysotile, and amosite. Asbestos was widely used in houses and structures around Sydney due to its excellent heat resistance and strength.
But during the 1970s, scientists discovered that asbestos was harmful and had negative side effects that could cause health complications when inhaled by a person. Since then, many Sydney buildings owners and homeowners have eliminated asbestos and is now considered a carcinogen.
Usual Places Where You Can Identify Asbestos
You should know that Sydney homes and buildings built between the 1940s and 1970s have been renovated to eliminate weak and unreliable materials. Once you contact asbestos testing in Sydney, some places they will start looking for asbestos include:
- Plaster
- Blown-in attic insulation
- Vinyl tile floors
- Ceiling tiles
- Basement pipes and boilers
- HVAC duct insulation
And if you plan on searching for asbestos yourself, it would be best to wear a respirator mask to prevent the toxic fumes from getting inside your airways.
Different Health Risks With Asbestos
As long as asbestos is present in your home in Sydney, there is a huge chance that people will gain health complications after prolonged exposure to asbestos. Usually, lung complications are always the first sign that asbestos has already entered your body. You should know that you cannot remove asbestos from your lungs right away because the fibres can get trapped in the lung lining, heart, or abdominal cavity lining.
One lung complication every Sydneysider should know about is Mesothelioma, which is a rare form of cancer that occurs on the protective tissues covering the lungs and abdomen. 2014 was the year with the highest recorded number of people with Mesothelioma, roughly around 770 cases. At least a quarter of the 770 cases were people who had inhaled asbestos by accident.
Tips in Dealing With Asbestos
If you ever encounter asbestos within your home, it is imperative that you never get near or touch it. Even expert asbestos removal companies like EnviroX will take precautionary measures before they go near anything that may look like asbestos. It is always best to contact professional asbestos removal services because they are the only ones that know how to remove it safely. If you have people around the home that get sick easily, you should temporarily relocate them away from the area with asbestos to keep them safe.
If you live in a house built before 2004, there is a big chance that there is underlying asbestos, and only doing asbestos testing can help determine where it is.
