Is Asbestos Hiding In Your Home?
Breathing in asbestos dust causes mesothelioma. Inhalation of asbestos dust causes damage to the cells of the pleura, the outer lining of the lungs, and the internal chest wall. Over time this damage results in changes, which can eventually turn into cancerous cells. Thousands of Americans may be at risk of being diagnosed with mesothelioma due to asbestos use in home insulation and building products.
How Would Asbestos Get Into Your Home?
Half a century ago, asbestos was used in thousands of building material products because it was durable, heat resistant, and cost effective. Building products and insulation used in homes before the 1970s contained asbestos including:
- Caulking and joint compound
- Ceiling and floor tiles
- Heat resistant fabrics
- Insulation used to cover furnaces and hot water and steam pipes
- Roof and siding shingles
- Textured paint and patch compounds used for wall and ceilings
- Walls and floors used with wood-burning stoves
- These sources of asbestos can be disturbed during home redecoration, renovation, and demolition
How to Identify Asbestos In Your Home
You may not be able to tell whether a material in your home contains asbestos just by looking at it. If you are unsure, leave the material alone. Have your home inspected for asbestos materials by a professional asbestos inspector if:
- You plan to remodel your home. Remodeling can disturb building materials and cause and asbestos particles to be released.
- Your home has damage to building materials like crumbling drywall and insulation that is falling apart.
What to do if Asbestos is in Your Home
- Get an inspection by an industrial hygiene firm. Homeowners thinking about a renovation, particularly those with houses built before 1975, should have asbestos testing conducted to determine if asbestos is present. It could be in drywall, ceiling tiles, insulation, and floor tiles.
- Call a licensed asbestos abatement contractor. If asbestos is discovered, the project’s budget should be revised to cover abatement. Then call an asbestos abatement contractor to negotiate a cleanup plan. Ensure the plan includes the work plan, all applicable regulations, permits, notification requirements that the contractor must follow, and the asbestos disposal procedure.
- Get a final inspection, and air sampling by the industrial hygiene firm after the abatement is finished.
Do not attempt to remove the asbestos yourself. Since asbestos fibers are deadly and nearly invisible to the naked eye, paper masks are not sufficient protection against the carcinogen, nor are ordinary vacuums. Special respirators are required. –
Your financial resources will likely not be enough to cover all of the medical, rehabilitative, and living costs you will incur if you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma.
You may be able to recover damages depending on the circumstances of your exposure to asbestos. At GPW, our experience in asbestos and mesothelioma lawsuits, large collection of corporate evidence and expert testimonies, and our dedication to the victims of asbestos exposure make us local leaders in asbestos litigation. Contact us today to learn how we can help injured people like you or a loved one.
