About Asbestos
Asbestos was once used widely in commercial and residential building projects. It is a strong substance that is even stronger than steel. It is also unaffected by heat and chemicals, and it does not conduct electricity. These factors combined make asbestos a great building material.
There are a few different types of asbestos: chrysotile, amosite, and crocidolite. These were most commonly used to make products like building materials, sewage piping, roofing, siding, electrical wire casing, tiles, paints, and other construction materials. Asbestos was also used in automobiles for the clutch and brake parts. In industrial settings, asbestos was used for filters in beverage machines, flooring, and cigarette filters. Asbestos was used widely for a variety of products.
Health concerns associated with asbestos use
Throughout the years, many health problems have been associated with asbestos. Asbestos is dangerous when breathed in. When a product containing asbestos is damaged and bothered, asbestos fibers go airbourne. It is very hard to determine if asbestos is present in the air as it does not cause immediate problems like coughing or itchiness. But when these fibers do get inhaled, they usually stay undissolved in the lungs, causing permanent lung damage.
Health problems first showed up among people that worked in close contact with asbestos, such as those in the construction, manufacturing, and mining industry. But it was soon discovered that even those whose jobs did not involve dealing with asbestos-containing materials, were exposed to asbestos anyway, causing them to suffer health problems. They could be relatives or friends of those who did work in close contact with asbestos or any individual whose homes or workplaces were made of asbestos-containing materials. Because of this, Australia enacted a total ban on asbestos. After a long period of lobbying in the late 20th century, Australia introduced a complete ban on all forms of asbestos in 2003. Even though it has been more than a decade since the ban, asbestos-related diseases are only now reaching its peak. This is because symptoms of asbestos-related diseases may not appear for 10 to 40 years after a person is exposed. Diseases caused by asbestos are hard to treat and most often impossible to cure. That is why asbestos removals have been initiated by several firms.
Asbestos-related diseases
Asbestosis is one common asbestos-related disease. Asbestosis is a type of pulmonary fibrosis. It is a chronic chest disease caused by a high concentration of asbestos fibers in the lungs. Asbestosis can develop up to twenty years after an individual is exposed to asbestos. The fibers damage cell membranes in the lungs, causing lung tissue to harden and scar. Treatment can alleviate and manage symptoms such as shortness of breath and coughing, but--with the exception of lung transplantation--there is currently no available cure for asbestosis. The condition gets worse over time, so patients require increased treatment as they age.
Mesothelioma, another asbestos-related disease, is a cancer of the lining of the lungs. A person can have mesothelioma even from low-level exposure to asbestos. It can develop up to forty-five years after initial exposure. This cancer is aggressive, and those who have it rarely live longer than a few years. According to The Mesothelioma Center, a support center for mesothelioma patients and their families, Australia has the second-highest mesothelioma death rate in the world. Since the 1980s, more than 10,000 people have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, and the number is expected to reach 18,000. In 2014, about 600 Australians died due to mesothelioma, most of whom were men aged 70 to 79. It can be inferred that they were exposed to asbestos in the height of asbestos use in the country, which was the 1970s and 80s.
Asbestos exposure has also been associated with lung diseases like pleural disease (an inflammation and irritation of the outer lining of the lung) and other forms of lung cancer like lung cancer of the bronchial tubes, lungs, and alveoli.
Handling asbestos
Asbestos use and exposure is a serious issue in the country today, concerning many industries: healthcare, construction, mining, manufacturing, and more. More importantly, it concerns every Australian household, as the difficult experience involving an asbestos-related disease remains primarily to be a personal one. The only way to safely detect, remove, and handle asbestos in your home or establishment is by contacting industry professionals trained to work on asbestos-containing materials. Contact AW Removals now at 0488 12 12 14 or (03) 9798 3891. You may also email us at [email protected]. To get a free quote, fill out our online form here.