Asbestos Removal Industry: Cure Or Curse?

From wonder mineral of the ages to one of the worst banes of humanity. That, in a nutshell, is the story of asbestos. And the back story as well of one of the most controversial industries today, the asbestos removal industry.

The ancients considered asbestos magical and wove it into cloth. But it was during the Industrial Revolution that it began to be widely used for its heat- and chemical-resistant properties, mainly as insulation in turbines, boilers, kilns and ovens. It is also highly resistant to electricity. In the 20th century, there was even more widespread use of asbestos in buildings and homes, automobiles, and clothing. Asbestos products such as asbestos cement sheet walls and ceilings, and asbestos roof tiles were popular in home construction because they were believed to lessen the risks of fire. It has also been used in water and sewage systems. One of the heaviest users of asbestos was, in fact, the US military, especially the Navy, which used massive amounts in building warships and other vessels.

Asbestos Removal Industry

This was despite growing proof of the danger to health caused by asbestos exposure. Among the diseases linked to being exposed to asbestos are asbestosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma, a particular form of cancer directly caused by asbestos exposure, pleural plaques and pleural thickening.

Many large asbestos companies, in fact, continued to use it in construction and manufacturing well into the 1980s. They would hide their health hazard findings to get around the multi-million dollar lawsuits filed by victims of asbestos cancer. But as the evidence became cleared, government began banning the use of asbestos. Today, 60 countries have total or partial bans in place.

In the US, although the Environmental Protection Agency has no general ban on asbestos uses, it was one of the first pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act and its use in many applications prohibited by the Toxic Substances Control Act.

With so much asbestos in houses and buildings, the problem now became how to remove it safely. This gave birth to what is now the multi-billion dollar asbestos removal industry. Much of the asbestos used in buildings comes in what is called bonded form, meaning it is mixed in with a another material like cement that it is unlikely to be released in harmful levels unless disturbed or broken.

Friable asbestos on the other hand, can easily become a powder and be released in the air as dangerous crystals that can be inhaled. Its most common use was in fire retardants sprayed onto building and house walls.

Because asbestos removal is a dangerous business, all asbestos abatement and removal workers are considered professionals who need to undergo state-approved training and certification. They are strictly required to wear safety clothing and asbestos abatement equipment. DIY asbestos removal, while possible, is not advised.

However, the growing demand for asbestos abatement services has also fueled a debate about the extent of asbestos hazards or whether the asbestos removal industry is simply cashing in on popular fears. There are also concerns about unscrupulous asbestos abatement companies following the prosecution of contractors hiring undocumented workers to undertake illegal removal work, thus exposing people to potentially painful or fatal health hazards.

In the end, though, as the saying goes, better safe than sorry. With proper regulation and enforcement of laws, it is best to have an asbestos removal industry around to safely remove an environmental and health threat that has long been in our midst.

Asbestos Removal Costs Residents

Asbestos removal is a very dangerous task, and should only be performed by expert contractors. Even if the dangers don't effect you directly, any adjacent property to you could contain this toxic substance and end up costing you. Residents who own property in some areas will have to fork out more cash after asbestos has been located on-site. Could you be effected by something like this in the future? Or perhaps right now?

Asbestos was used in building constructions in Sydney until it was banned by the NSW government in 1986. In my many years working in the asbestos clean up and building demolition industries around schools and public buildings I have learnt one very important thing. The most important tip you should know is that asbestos removal can be very expensive, and puts many people off renovating and buying a house for fear it might be contaminated. It does not have to be expensive, but the reason people associate expense is because of the health risks exposure to asbestos can cause. The other major advice I can give, and this applies to any service in life, not just when you suspect asbestos in your building is to shop around, get several quotes from several providers, and chose who you like best.

Recently many local Sydney residents have discovered their properties had hidden asbestos materials used in their construction. Pardon the pun, but these residents are likely to have to "cough up" a lot of money to rectify their issue. Due to the nature of councils and the health dangers involved in such issues, there can be high costs for using a professional to do the asbestos removal job properly. It is even thought that there is asbestos in parts of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Exposure to asbestos fibres, especially over a prolonged period can cause the health issues asbestosis, and mesothelioma. These are both chronic respiratory diseases with no known cure, and a very high chance of death for those who are diagnosed. For this reason the most important thing you can do is eliminate exposure to these dangerous building materials. If suspect material is found within a property you should have the asbestos removed by licensed professionals as quickly as possible.

Any claims of asbestos in a building, either residential or commercial should be taken very seriously due to the health problems it can cause. Any testing, toxic material identification and subsequent asbestos removal should only ever be conducted by experts, since the material is extremely hazardous to handle. According to the local building industry and public housing representative, asbestos is now being found in many buildings in developed areas and a resort island area in New South Wales during a recent inspection.

Demolition work on one large building has been halted so the council can conduct a full review of the precinct for other deadly asbestos particles. This can be a costly and time consuming activity, but is for the benefit of the communities health.

Residents should be aware as is it consistently confirmed that asbestos is continuously been found often in the old recreation rooms of local resident's buildings especially in island resort structures. It is likely that other buildings in the city, local area and throughout the nearby community, which date back to the 1970s, could also be deemed dangerous. The majority of buildings built during this time used asbestos fibre materials as a safe guard against fire. It was not properly known by the public much later that the material used is linked to health problems including cancer.

For example in a big community, the budget to bankroll the purchase and demolition of a typical resort and it's contaminated neighbouring property and land could be estimated to cost more than $10 million, for the sole purpose of safeguarding against contaminated material.

When getting involved in the operations of one of these cases in an isolated resort town, the asbestos find could impact on the removal of building materials from the property, as standard building materials are a hazard and expense in their own right. Asbestos removal requires many more safe guards, licences and handling procedures to ensure workers and residents do not inhale any of the toxic materials. It is considerably more dangerous than standard demolition work of brick and mortar and plaster material, found standard in most building blocks and construction work.

The material was commonly used in buildings from 1940 to the '80s, and now correctly identifying and removal of asbestos is becoming a widespread issue for residents and commercial buildings alike.

When dealing with asbestos this extra careful handling requires increased costs, and care from a specialist. If you live on an island, isolated property or hard to access location transporting any building materials can be costly, so you could imagine the bill might start to get expensive if they have to remove asbestos. Asbestos waste is expected to be enclosed and removed to avoid future contamination of the site.

It is important you use an expert to remove such hazardous material. Regulations can differ in certain jurisdictions, however in Sydney since January 1st 2008 an asbestos licence is required to remove more than 10 metres squared of bonded asbestos material. A licensed bonded asbestos remover can remove any amount of bonded asbestos material. Licensing for asbestos removalists in Sydney is regulated and administered by Workcover NSW.