Category: Home Decor

Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos

https://www.asbestosremovalz.com/If you’ve worked around asbestos, you may be wondering what the dangers are. Exposure to asbestos can cause a wide variety of diseases, including mesothelioma. This deadly cancer affects the lining of your chest, abdomen, and lungs. Early warning signs include fluid buildup around the lungs, cough, and fatigue. As with all cancers, the most effective treatment for asbestos-related disease is prevention.

Old buildings often contain asbestos, including decorative ceilings. Some patching compounds and textured paint also contain asbestos, which is a common ingredient in building materials. Although asbestos use in new construction was banned in 1977, homes and buildings constructed before that date may still contain asbestos. Also, vinyl floor tiles and sheet flooring contain asbestos.

Asbestos is a known carcinogen, so it’s important to take precautions to prevent exposure to asbestos. While there are no symptoms of asbestos exposure in most people, it’s important to know how to protect yourself from this dangerous substance. Asbestos fibers are easily released when plaster breaks, cracks form in walls, and walls become damp and damaged. It’s important to address asbestos exposure immediately in these cases, but don’t worry if you’ve never been exposed to it. You never know when you might have an asbestos-related incident, so it’s crucial to stay vigilant about regular health checkups and notify your health care provider of any exposure.

When you’re exposed to asbestos, your body will absorb fibers, usually, by breathing them in, making the lungs the most likely site of any problem and causing you to develop symptoms. Asbestos is toxic in small doses, and the longer you’re exposed to it, the worse your health will become. It’s important to seek proper medical care if you suspect that you’ve been exposed to asbestos in your home. It’s especially important to take precautions to protect yourself and your family.

If you’re not sure what your symptoms mean, ask your family doctor. Inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause cancer. Even if a person is exposed to low-level amounts of asbestos in the air, they can still cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. If you’ve smoked in your lifetime, you’re even more likely to be affected by asbestos because cigarette smoke irritates your respiratory tract. When contaminated food or liquids contain asbestos, it’s likely that you’re swallowing the fibers in the product.

If you’re renovating or remodeling an older building, asbestos exposure is a serious concern. Asbestos fibres can become airborne when disturbed. Contractors must take appropriate precautions to minimize the risk of asbestos contamination. You should hire licensed asbestos abatement contractors who are licensed to work in your area. If you are unsure of their background and experience, check with your local air pollution control board, worker safety agency, and the Better Business Bureau.

Why Are Popcorn Ceilings So Terrible

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Popcorn Ceilings May Contain Asbestos

Many older houses have what are known as popcorn ceilings. If you are thinking of buying one of these older houses, then find out about these types of spray on ceiling covers before making an offer, so you know whether you are willing to live with it or able to afford the cost of removing it.

What Is A Popcorn Ceiling

A popcorn ceiling is the name given to ceilings that have been treated with a spray-on textured paint. They are also known as acoustic ceilings, because they have sound-proofing qualities. Many people do not like them, firstly because they are old fashioned and not what they consider to be in tune with modern decor and secondly because they may contain asbestos.

Does It Contain Asbestos?

Sources Of Asbestos in Homes

Where To Find Asbestos In The Home

It’s often surprising just where exactly asbestos can be found in older homes and what needs to be done to ensure a safe asbestos clean up. The best route is to bring in the experts. Qualified asbestos removal firms will have trained staff, who will know where exactly to look for possible uses, such as sidings, floor tiles,  asbestos duct or ductwork insulation and boiler areas for instance. They will also be trained to use the correct methods, such as taping off areas with asbestos danger tape, using asbestos cleaning cloths and disposal bags or they may possibly recommend asbestos encapsulation methods for areas where the material does not need removal and is not friable but where work is needed to ensure any asbestos cannot be accidentally released.

The Health and Safety Executive in the UK has produced an image that shows some (not all) of the possible places to find asbestos in the home. The numbering guide can be found on their page. The picture is linked to the page it comes from.

www.asbestosremovalz.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is an old film available that shows many of the areas where asbestos can be found in an older house. Warning: the video is actually called “how to  safely remove asbestos” but what it really does is show you where asbestos is located. If you are interested in watching to see how many ways asbestos was used in older houses, then check out the asbestos documentary below.

 

This page contains public sector information published by the Health and Safety Executive and licensed under the Open Government Licence

Home Decor And Maintenance

If you own a home for any length of time, you will probably plan to improve some aspect of it at some point, even if it’s just painting a door or a wall. And home improvement can also be a great hobby: it can build useful skills and give you a great sense of satisfaction. Of course, it can also improve the function and look of your home, provided it is done correctly!

Planning

Planning ahead is vital if you don’t want to waste money and time. Check out home decor and DIY magazines and books for ideas and inspiration. Give yourself some time to learn, rather than just jumping into action straight away. Take some design elements from pictures you see, and use other people’s ideas to help spark your creativity. You might even want to create a vision board or journal to keep ideas to think about.

It’s also important to remember that every piece of real estate is subject to building codes; without proper research, the requirements imposed by local codes and zoning regulations can present a nasty surprise to those who intend to do home maintenance or to make major improvements to their home, including removing walls, extending the building or converting a roof space or garage. You could find that your expensive work is not approved and have to spend money returning your house to the way it was!

When thinking about making a major renovation to your home, check the kind of return that you could hope to get from your investment, as some updates can be a bit of an overkill depending on the neighborhood you live in, especially if you might be thinking about selling your home within a couple of years of doing this renovation. If you do too much, you might not get your money back on the improvements you made. Also think about how any changes might affect your home’s resale value. For example, you might think about converting your garage into a living room to meet your immediate needs, but this might affect your chance of selling or the price you might get at a later date. Even if you don’t plan on selling immediately, circumstances can change, and you may have to spend additional money getting your home back to the way it was.

Getting The Work Done

If you have the time and the skills, you may plan to do all the work yourself, but if you need to bring someone in, don’t ever hire an unlicensed contractor. General contractors as well as sub contractors are required to have certification in most states. This does not guarantee competence, but it is legally required. If contractors are not adequately licensed and insured, you don’t want to hire them. Always insist on references before hiring a contractor to work on your home improvement project. Hiring a competent and experienced professional is worth the money to give you peace of mind that the job is done right the first time.

Tools And Materials

It is important to use the highest quality supplies and tools when doing a home improvement project. You may spend more initially, but you’ll save money down the road. Better quality products survive wear and tear and last longer. Tools can be expensive and you don’t want to have to replace them regularly.

Get The Basics Checked

Before you start remodeling or redecorating a room, bring in a professional for an electrical checkup. This is a legal requirement in some places. You also need to check the plumbing, to be sure that it is in good working condition. It’s no fun having to tear out a new floor or rip into a new wall, to make a repair that should have been done before doing the work.

Asbestos

If your house is an older one, you will need to check for asbestos before starting in to major work. For instance, if you have older floor tiles or a popcorn ceiling, it will need to be tested to see if it contains asbestos. Asbestos is a naturally occurring but harmful substance that requires extra care when it is removed and disposed of, but it is generally only harmful if disturbed. If you do find asbestos, you will need to hire a special crew, who are trained and licensed to remove it.

QUERIES ON MESOTHELIOMA

What does the siding on your home look like? Do you have an asbestos siding? If so, again, if you plan on removing it, whether to replace it with more modern siding or because it is in poor condition, you will need to hire a licensed asbestos removal contractor. The same goes for asbestos roof tiles or slates. If your roof is damaged and needs repaired, and the slates or tiles on it are asbestos, any damaged ones that need removed must be dealt with by a licensed contractor and disposed of properly.