asbestos siding

It was standard practice to use asbestos in homes that were built back in the 19th and 20th centuries and while most people realize the risk of asbestos inside their older homes, what they may not realize is that it was also commonly used in home siding as well. It wasn't until the 1980's when the experts started to suspect that home siding could also pose a serious health risk to home owners.

If you suspect your older home may have asbestos in the siding here are some suggestions to help you identify any problems.

The deed to your home can provide valuable information on when the home was built. If your home was built before 1978 there is a good chance that asbestos was part of the original building materials used to build your home. If the outside of your home still has the original siding you will need to check for damage, if no damage is present it is recommended to leave it in place until you can contact an expert or you run the risk of asbestos exposure.

You should inspect your siding for manufacture information printing, if there is a manufacture code it is unlikely that your siding contains asbestos. It wasn't until after 1980 when manufactures started coding their siding and asbestos was already removed from the manufacturing process. However if your siding has several layers of paint you will need to have a professional take a look at it to determine if the original paint to determine if it contains asbestos.

Siding that looks like roof shingles were common before 1980, and asbestos was often used in the manufacturing. Check the back of the siding for appearances of tar paper, or the front may have a sandy textured or grainy appearance which is an indicator of asbestos.

A lot of manufactures also produced a wood grain texture to simulate cedar. These shingles were usually about 12 to 24 inches and the bottom often had a wavy pattern, although it was just the most popular there were still other patterns produced.

After you have done your own inspection and determined that there is a possibility of asbestos or if you are unsure, you should consult a professional. Manufacturers used to make products from asbestos that actually resembled asbestos-free products which can be confusing to the armature eye.

There are several reputable labs that you can send a sample of your siding to, this is the best way to determine if asbestos is present. Even if you think your siding is ok you should have a sample tested if your home was built before 1980 to ensure your family's health and well-being. Asbestos exposure is the direct cause of mesothelioma cancer.

Asbestos Tiles

Asbestos is currently a regulated material, because studies and scientific research have proved that it is a cause of several forms of cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestos poisoning. These illnesses do not show up right after the exposure to asbestos-they have a remarkably long latency period. However, constant and prolonged exposure to asbestos will cause its tiny fibers and particles to accumulate in the lungs. These asbestos fibers are particularly sharp-they can easily puncture and penetrate the sensitive lung tissues. The most serious illness that one can contract because of asbestos exposure is mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that have claimed thousands of lives.

It was only in the 1960's that the fatal mesothelioma was linked to asbestos inhalation and ingestion. It took several years before a government agency imposed restrictions about the use of asbestos-and the mineral has been used in construction materials such as floor tiles. Only laboratory testing will prove the presence of asbestos, but these tiles that contain this mineral share specific characteristics. Here are a few ways to determine whether the tiles in your home contain hazardous asbestos fibers:

• If your tiles are colored black, gray, brown, or gray brown, there is a high chance that they contain asbestos. Asphalt and vinyl tiles that come in these colors are infused with asbestos fibers. Between these two kinds of tiles, the asphalt variety has the highest concentration of asbestos fibers, mainly because they used asphalt as the primary ingredient.
• It is important to determine the age of the flooring. You might want to be especially wary of this when you bought an older home. Because the presence of asbestos drives down the price of the home, the former owners might have removed all the insulation because this is one of the main usages of asbestos fibers. They might have overlooked the replacement of floor tiles. Asbestos was widely used in floor tiles, especially in the ones manufactured between 1920 and 1960. Older vinyl and asphalt flooring are made with asbestos-and these types of floor tiles usually come in nine-inch squares and are generally thicker than newer floor tiles.
• Aside from vinyl and asphalt tiles, sheet linoleum-especially those manufactured before the 1980's-is also known to contain asbestos. Sheet linoleum is attached to the concrete floor by an adhesive, which also contains this hazardous material. If the house you are living in right now is constructed in the decades mentioned above and all the flooring is original, you and your family might be at risk of asbestos exposure.
• If you suspect that your tiles contain asbestos, do not try to remove it by yourself-even to extract a small sample to send to a testing laboratory. Contact a licensed asbestos removal company so they can inspect your tiles. Sawing, scraping, or cutting through the floor tiles might release asbestos fibers into the air if you do it by yourself. Professional asbestos removers have the technical knowledge and equipment to perform the job properly.

Asbestos pipe insulation

Asbestos pipe insulation will keep your pipes from losing heat between your faucets, appliances, and hot water heater. Having your pipes insulated will make sure that you do not lose heat through them causing you to spend more money on utilities and creating condensation that could lead to mold and rotting wood.

You can take care of both of these situations with Asbestos pipe insulation. This can save you money on utilities and costly repairs in the future. You should check the insulation if you live in an older house, a lot of it was asbestos. You will have to remove it and dispose of it properly because of the health risk of asbestos. You can also cover the old insulation with Asbestos pipe insulation if you don't want to worry with removing it.

Many do it yourself stores will carry it. There is a type of Asbestos pipe insulation that comes pre-fit for pipes that slips over them and has a self adhesive piece that glues it together. This can be a lot easier to install than wrapping the pipes.

Another problem with uninsulated pipes is having them freeze. The pipes that you should be sure to check are around an exterior wall. These are the ones that will be most likely to freeze and then burst. Often a busted pipe can go unnoticed until a high utility bill comes in and you look for the reasons behind it.

So you can see there are many reasons why you should check and make sure that you have Asbestos pipe insulation installed. You will not only be saving money but you will be saving the environment. There are many tax benefits that you can take advantage of by winterizing your home and becoming more green. By installing Asbestos pipe insulation you can squash those high utility bills and make your home more efficient.

asbestos at home

When planning to test for asbestos at home, it is important to find an unbiased accredited laboratory with enough extensive experience in doing analysis of samples sent by homeowners for asbestos testing. This will ensure that you get the results you need accurately before carrying out your home renovation or remodeling plans.

Asbestos testing in homes is a must, especially for houses that were built before 1985, since it was only after this year that materials containing asbestos were properly labeled as such. Asbestos is a known carcinogen and prolonged exposure to it has long been associated to the development of lung diseases including cancer and asbestosis.

It is important to hire professionals to do the home asbestos test for you. Analysis of materials for asbestos content is done in a qualified laboratory. The most that a homeowner can do is to collect a sample of a suspected asbestos containing material and send it to asbestos testing professionals. It is an essential aspect of the testing process to call a professional prior to taking samples so that you can be advised on how to do it properly.

Asbestos has been used extensively on building materials before they were proven to cause some detrimental health problems in humans and pets alike. The home, however, is not the only place in which asbestos contamination can happen. Commercial spaces built around the time of wide asbestos usage may also pose a threat. Asbestos in texture ceiling as well as in floor tiles are not uncommon for these establishments, and as such should also be considered for testing if you're are planning on remodeling or doing any other types of repair to it.

An area that is suspected of asbestos content should be isolated for preferably two days before a sample can be taken. If a test for asbestos turns out to be positive, removing the contaminated material is not always necessary. In fact, doing this may increase the risk of asbestos fibers becoming airborne. Repairing the contamination to keep it in place is usually the best option. Repairs can only be done by professionals highly trained in the safe handling of asbestos. This can be done in either of two ways:

• Encapsulation. This method of repair is also known as 'sealing' and is done by applying a sealant on the material to bind or coat the asbestos fibers on it and keep them from being released. This is the method of repair done on furnaces, pipes and boiler insulators.
• Enclosure. This method of repair is also called 'covering'. This is done by putting another material over the one that contains asbestos to prevent fibers from becoming airborne. Protective wrapping or jacket may be used.

Choosing to get asbestos containing material repaired is cheaper and safer than getting them removed. So if a test for asbestos for either the home or the workplace warrants treatment of an asbestos problem, consider getting them repaired first. Do not get asbestos containing materials removed unless absolutely necessary.

EPA Asbestos

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has decided to ignore the recommendations of its own scientific advisory panel on asbestos exposure. In August 2008, the agency's Scientific Advisory Board issued a report strongly urging the EPA not to change how it determines health risks to workers from exposure to asbestos. Earlier in the summer the EPA held hearings on its proposal to change how it would evaluate the hazard of chrysotile, the commonest form of asbestos, at Superfund sites.

Asbestos fibers occur in two basic forms: amphiboles, which are straight needle-like fibers, and serpentine asbestos, whose fibers are curled and more flexible. Chrysotile or white asbestos is the most commonly encountered form of asbestos, accounting for approximately 95% of the asbestos in place in the United States, and the commonest means of exposure for workers in industries which use asbestos.

Early studies had suggested that only amphiboles caused cancer. Considerable epidemiological research has established that inhalation of Chrysotile fibers, which are serpentine, can cause mesothelioma.

The hearings, held by the EPA's panel of 20 scientists, were to gather testimony about changes the agency was proposing in the way it measured chrysotile concentrations. The changes were made in response to pressure from industries which still manufacture or use asbestos, and also from the White House. The changes would have ignored decades of solid epidemiological studies documenting the high toxicity of chrysotile.

Leading asbestos scientists, public health experts, physicians who treat mesothelioma, and asbestos victim's advocates testified at the July hearings against the agency's plan to change how it estimates potential cancer risk for those who have inhaled microscopic asbestos fibers.

The Scientific Advisory Board's report agreed that there are differences in toxicity among the six forms of asbestos, but said the EPA's data were weak, and did not provide justification for changing the current standards.

The report dealt a significant loss to the industries that had pushed for the change as a defensive tool in the thousands of asbestos injury cases they still face. The EPA's decision to override its own advisory panel's report is likely to meet with stiff resistance within the asbestos victims' community.

Frederick Schenk, a leading San Diego mesothelioma lawyer has been representing victims of asbestos caused disease for more than 20 years. His team of attorneys, paralegals and investigators work closely with medical professionals and industry consultants to provide the highest quality of services for those facing a mesothelioma diagnosis.

Asbestos types

Most people do not know that asbestos is a natural substance. They assume it to be a substance made by man for commercial purposes. Asbestos is a fibrous mineral found in nature and mined by man to use for various purposes. The wonder of this mineral is that it is fire resistant, chemical resistant, highly strong, and completely flexible and has very low electrical conductivity. Due to the above reasons, asbestos is used for a variety of purposes in various industries. Some of them are:

• Asbestos is widely used in the construction industry because of its fireproof quality.
• Asbestos can be easily woven into cloth and is thus used to make fire poof clothing.
• Asbestos is used to make gaskets and pipes.
• It is used in the shipbuilding industry.
• This popular substance was first used in 1828, in steam engines, as a lining material.
• For many years, it was used to make floorings, brake linings and clutch facings in automobiles.
• It is shocking to note that asbestos was used in making toothpaste and surgical incision thread too.

Broad classification of asbestos

There are two broad categories into which all Asbestos types can be classified. They are as follows:

Serpentine group:

This type of asbestos has a layered form and the fibers are curly. This is why it is called as 'serpentine'. This group has just one member, called chrysolite. Basically, This is the most common type of asbestos.Amphibole group This is considered to be the most hazardous type of asbestos. It has straight fibers. Unlike the serpentine group, it has a chain like structure. Five kinds of asbestos are found in the amphibole group.

Sub classification of asbestos

There are six types of asbestos found on earth. Let us see about each of them below:

Chrysolite:

It is also popularly called as white asbestos, chrysolite is the most common type of asbestos. It belongs to the serpentine group. The construction industry makes vast use of this type of asbestos. Since this type of asbestos is widely used, the majority of the asbestos-related health problems globally are caused due to chrysolite. It is used in the following materials:

• fire proofing materials,
• insulation,
• woven to form asbestos clothes,
• cement pipes,
• cement Sheets,
• automobile brake shoes,
• clutches,
• disk pads,
• textiles,
• plastics,
• paper,
• rubber and
• even in nuclear industry.

It has been proved by medical science that chrysolite also leads to various asbestos- related diseases, including mesothelioma. However, the asbestos industrialists are trying to hush up these studies. They keep claiming that it is not harmful. They do all that is possible in their power to stop the government from banning chrysolite. The result is that asbestos is still widely used in India, Canada, Africa, China and some other countries.

Though the developed countries have banned asbestos some years back, it is still found in many buildings and commercial products. If this is the case in developed countries, it is frightening to think of the future situation in the other countries.

Amosite:

This belongs to the amphibole category of asbestos. It has very stiff and Strong fibers. These fibers get easily air borne and are Very dangerous when inhaled through the nose or mouth. It is known as brown asbestos. It is mostly used for insulating purposes. Most of the countries have banned this amosite several decades ago itself. After chrysolite, this was the most popularly used type of asbestos.

Crocidolite:

This is a very rare type of asbestos belonging to the amphibole category. It is mostly used to reinforce plastics as it is highly strong. It is slightly blue in color. It is also used in thermal insulation.

The other three types of asbestos are not used to make any commercial products and thus, cause no harm.

How asbestos leads to mesothelioma?

When asbestos is mined and manufactured, a lot of asbestos dust and asbestos fibers are released into the atmosphere. Man can easily inhale this dust because it is light, invisible and airborne. Once it enters the body, either through nose or mouth, it travels throughout the body. The body organs like lungs, heart and abdomen have a lining called as mesothelium lining. When asbestos comes into contact with this lining, it starts behaving abnormally. It starts to divide rapidly and begins to outlive the other cells, leading to tumors in that area. This may also spread to the other parts of the body, leading to the terrible disease called as mesothelioma cancer. Thus, it would be in the best interest of all if this dangerous mineral, asbestos, were banned globally.