Apart from asbestos removal professionals, there are other professions who unknowingly and willingly will be exposed to this dangerous material.
Firefighters have one of the most dangerous occupations in the world. It’s normal to be exposed to dangerous substances from burning materials on a daily basis. They’re exposed to monoxide, lead, arsenic and asbestos in buildings built during the period that asbestos was popular in use.
Throughout the majority of the 20th century and before the 1980s, asbestos was regularly used in the construction of homes and buildings. Almost every home was constructed with it and with the urbanization boom, those homes still stand today. The usual asbestos-contaminated materials include roofing, shingles, pipe insulation, vinyl floor tiles and other parts of the home that needed to be fire-proofed.
During a fire and with crew swiftly moving throughout the home, it’s easy for asbestos to become airborne if the home is contaminated with it and asbestos abatement hasn’t ever been performed. Small disturbances can cause it to enter the air and become a risk for firefighters and cleanup crew, not to mention that it was probably a risk for the family living in the house, all along.
The cost of risky occupations
Just like firefighters, people working in the mining industry are at an even higher risk of breathing in asbestos. Because asbestos is a natural mineral that is found in the ground, mining for other types of minerals that usually grow beside asbestos exposes workers to it.
Although Greeks and Romans made use of mined asbestos as well, once it became popular between the 1920s and the 1980s, massive amounts of it were mined. During the mining process, once asbestos became disturbed from blasting and hauling, the tiny particles became airborne and settled into their lungs.
Many of the miners, the people involved in the process and those residing in neighboring areas are only now developing mesothelioma and other health conditions, years later.
If you suspect your home is contaminated with asbestos, please don’t attempt to remove it yourself. Give us a call for an inspection and test on-site, so our asbestos removal professionals can remove it safely with asbestos abatement up to national codes and regulations.