Table Of Contents
The Distance Airborne Asbestos Can Travel
While asbestos can be put to great use, it is known that it also portends grave danger to people when inhaled. When disturbed, asbestos fibres can easily break loose and become released into the atmosphere.
Unfortunately, these fibres are so tiny that they are not visible to the naked eye. Considering that they are about ten times smaller than a human hair's width, you will quickly understand how small they can be.
Due to their small size, they can cover a great distance within a short time. Since people will want to keep safe and away from asbestos fibres, it is good to know how far they can travel in the air as soon as they become airborne.
What Exposure Level Is Dangerous To The Body?
Many people have suffered from the consequences of inhaling breakaway asbestos fibres. This is because these substances easily damage respiratory systems in animals and humans. As a result of the nature of some people's work, they get exposed to asbestos fibres from time to time.
This has made them ponder what amount of asbestos the human body can tolerate since no one dies from immediate inhalation of these substances. Often, exposure to asbestos is an issue those in construction work or home renovations have to contend with and are usually known to suffer from serious health issues afterward.
There may not be an exact method to know what amount of asbestos fibres the human body can withstand because there are individual differences and a whole lot of other factors that can predispose humans to these health complications.
To keep safe, these people must look for ways to reduce their asbestos exposure. In any location where asbestos has been found, the best approach is to call on trained professionals who are experts in asbestos removal because they have the skills, equipment, and experience to conduct the exercise safely.
Effects Of A One-Time Exposure To Asbestos Fibres
There are many medical issues, such as asbestosis, that can arise as a result of exposure to asbestos over a long period. For example, there is a greater risk to your health if you are exposed to asbestos fibres for months or years.
While it is expected that a reasonable time for exposure is required for health complications to arise, it is best to avoid asbestos wherever possible because as small as a single day of exposure can cause large amounts of these fibres to be inhaled.
If you find yourself where there is lots of asbestos, no PPE, and poor ventilation, you may have inhaled lots of these fibres without knowing. You may not observe any instant effect of this on your health, but you must let your doctor know.
Doing this will let them keep track of the event and monitor your health properly. If you have ever been unknowingly exposed, then you should avoid a future recurrence and have a plan any time you have to handle asbestos.
Are All Asbestos Harmful?
No type of asbestos is not harmful when inhaled. This is so because asbestos is toxic dust that you must avoid as much as possible. From what is known about the substance, illnesses that occur due to inhaling it are cumulative and would affect people because they have been exposed to it regularly.
In most cases, asbestosis would only come to light several years after exposure. There is also the risk of other people around you inadvertently becoming exposed to asbestos, which is referred to as second-hand asbestos exposure.
It can happen if you go home or to other places where your or others' clothes are covered in asbestos fibres. When these fibres are released into the air, friends and family members around you can inhale them.
How Long Does Asbestos Stay In The Air?
In a place where recent renovation work has been carried out, you may be concerned about the presence of asbestos. With the slightest breeze, asbestos can be disturbed and lead to a potential increase in the fibres in the air. When disturbed, these asbestos fibres can stay in the air for about 48 to 72 hours before settling eventually.
After asbestos fibres have settled, a slight breeze can disturb them and cause them to go airborne again. For this exact reason, it is essential to call on a professional asbestos removal expert, where it is vital to ascertain the air is free from asbestos fibres.
Asbestos Dust Can Easily Travel through The Air
When asbestos is undisturbed, its presence does not necessarily present danger. However, with increasing asbestos awareness, we now know that asbestos can stay hidden beneath carpets, behind walls, and left covering heating ducts, where they present a narrow risk to occupants and homeowners.
Since these particles are easily disturbed, a little agitation can cause them to be released into the air. According to research findings, there is no known safe level of asbestos exposure. Most people who have developed asbestos-related health conditions have worked with the mineral for several years, but that is not to say short-term exposures are not dangerous.
Inhaled asbestos fibres can become trapped inside the lungs. With the accumulation of these fibres, health problems are bound to emanate soon afterward. Some health problems that can arise from inhaling asbestos include:
• Lung inflammation
• Asbestosis
• Lung scarring
• Lung cancer and mesothelioma
• Cancers of the larynx and ovaries
• Cancers of the colorectum, stomach, and pharynx
What To Do When There Is Asbestos In The Air
Risks for mesothelioma, as well as some other types of illnesses, increase with any asbestos exposure. Asbestos fibres are very light and can even be transferred by the wind to off-site locations. If you suspect these fibres are suspended in the air, you must act quickly. The following are steps you should take:
• Speak out and let people working or living in the affected area know there is an asbestos exposure risk.
• Try to identify the asbestos exposure site and cordon it off to stop people from accessing it if possible.
• Any equipment or tool that may be carrying residual asbestos fibres should be decontaminated or destroyed.
• Ensure that all family members or co-workers decontaminate or destroy any tools or clothing that have been exposed.
If there are reasons for you to believe that there is disturbed asbestos in your office or home, you should not hesitate to call your local health authority. Usually, there are asbestos testing services in states and cities, and you should be able to access public lists of licensed asbestos removal companies.
Some businesses are equipped and fit to conduct air quality tests. This way, they can know if the asbestos fibres have scattered and contaminated any surrounding sites.
Spreading Asbestos Awareness To Others
You may be fortunate to learn the dangers of inhaling asbestos dust here or elsewhere. But did you know that several people are yet to have this knowledge?
A good number of people who work with you or are related to you could be predisposed to the dangers of asbestos exposure. For this reason, you cannot afford to keep this information to yourself but disseminate it to others.
Who is vulnerable to asbestos exposure?
Some of the most vulnerable to the risk of exposure to asbestos fibre inhalation are children, the disabled, and senior citizens. These people are hardly aware of the kind of area they find themselves in and may not know when to stay conscious.
It is of utmost importance that if you have such people under your care, you should be mindful of where they are and take charge of where they go. Failure to do this can get them predisposed to the danger of inhaling these harmful substances.
Some adults who are not handicapped may also be unaware of this information. This makes it necessary for you to share it with people wherever you deem fit. In some places, many asbestos-containing materials are used for construction and renovation work. Besides workers, innocent people visiting can also get unduly exposed to asbestos.
In case you have been exposed to asbestos unduly, and some severe harm has occurred as a result of this, you could be entitled to some significant compensation. This can be money you can use to cover the costs of asbestos removal and medical treatments as well as take pre-emptive steps to take care of your physical well-being.
Compensation after asbestos exposure
Qualifying for significant compensation after you are exposed to asbestos fibres unduly does not have to involve any serious hard work. In fact, when you are diagnosed with an asbestos illness health problem, you may get the proper compensation without filing a lawsuit.
More than $30 billion has been placed in Asbestos Trusts, which is meant to care for people who are genuinely affected by asbestos inhalation health problems. This money is meant to be used as compensation for people who have developed asbestos-related health problems. Such problems include asbestosis, mesothelioma, pleural thickening, and other types of cancer.
Mitigating Risk Of Illness After Asbestos Exposure
It is good practice to ensure that you do due diligence wherever you choose to live or work by asking and confirming that you will not be exposing yourself to the risk of inhaling asbestos fibres. If you are interested in buying property, you should ensure that these fibres are not left hanging in the air from construction or renovation.
If you plan to have a new home, you should endeavour to site it far away from industrial locations where companies use asbestos in their productions. Doing this helps prevent asbestos fibres that can travel far from reaching you and your family in your home. So do not get overly carried away by the aesthetics. Instead, ensure that the environment is safe for you and your family to live in.
To be sure of the air quality in your home, you should call on experts who can carry out the required tests for you. If you currently work at a construction site, there should be enough protective gear for you and your co-workers. There should be policies and health insurance that cater to the well-being of workers.
These policies and insurance should be generous enough to compensate them in the case of health issues occurring from asbestos exposure. No matter the salary or wages a job promises, you should endeavour to check the availability of these things by the company you intend to work for. It is also advisable to take time to read the fine lines and understand what you are going to go through.
Hire Experts To Check For Asbestos
Ensuring that you live and work in a healthy environment should be paramount to you. As part of the things you need to check before you move into a newly constructed or renovated place, the air quality must be checked.
Unfortunately, asbestos fibres cannot be seen with the naked eye and are also odourless. However, there is good news. With the help of trained professionals, the absence or presence of asbestos in the air around you in your home can be verified. This will help ensure that you and your family are safe.
It may sound like an additional step for you to take, which comes at some added cost, but it nonetheless should never be overlooked if you want to live a clean and healthy life.
David
