Asbestos FAQ

When testing your home for any dangerous products or materials, Asbestos is a name that comes up in every discussion and for a good reason. Asbestos was heavily used in the building and home industry before the 1990s for insulation, walls, plumbing, and more. When components with Asbestos are damaged, they can release asbestos fibers which can become extremely dangerous if inhaled. To protect your home and residents, it’s important to get air quality testing completed and ensure that there is no asbestos in your home. At InchbyInch, we have very experienced professionals who can provide asbestos air testing in Toronto. Read below for some more information and FAQS about Asbestos. 

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a generic name given to a number of different materials which have similar characteristics of being composed of microscopic long, thin fibers. These fibers are long and curved in appearance. Asbestos was heavily used in the building industry as it has some great physical properties, such as being fire-retardant, strengthening use, and can acoustically insulate. Asbestos was regularly used for insulation, cement, piping, and more applications. 

How Can Asbestos Harm Me?

asbestos testingAs mentioned, the microscopic asbestos fibers can be long and straight. They can be inhaled and travel towards the lungs, where they can get stuck. After long exposure, health hazards such as breathing difficulties or lung cancer can occur. Repeated exposure to Asbestos can amplify these health hazards and also lead to other organ cancers throughout the body. Asbestos fibers are microscopic and can’t be seen with just the eye, and it’s important to ensure that the air you breathe doesn’t contain Asbestos. 

How Can I Identify Asbestos In My Home?

The use of Asbestos has been heavily cut off after 1990 but has not completely been banned in North America. Although now very limited in use, Asbestos was frequently used for a variety of building materials, including insulation, window glazing, piping, stucco, cement boards, fireproofing, and much more. The only way to test if your home has Asbestos or not is by conducting a professional asbestos test. Sample of the materials is taken to a lab where they are tested to determine if they contain Asbestos. InchbyInch

Isn’t Asbestos Banned?

The health hazards of Asbestos were mainly discovered in the 1980s, and its use in the building construction industry has been heavily reduced since 1990. Asbestos has a very long lifespan and can last for centuries unless it’s tampered with or demolished. Asbestos has not been completely banned in the construction industry, however, as its application still makes it a good product for cement piping and concrete. 

What Do I Do If I Think I Have Asbestos In My Home?

If you live in a home built before 1990 and think you have Asbestos, the first step is to hire a professional company to carry out asbestos testing. Asbestos can only be found by taking samples of materials from building components that used to contain Asbestos and send them to a lab. From there, the lab will verify the components of the materials and determine if it contains Asbestos. 

If you think your home may contain Asbestos or would like to have an asbestos air quality test done for your home, contact InchbyInch

 

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