New Report Urges Homeowners to Get Their Homes Tested for Asbestos

Asbestos a Potential Danger in Older Homes

Asbestos becomes particularly dangerous as it becomes friable and its fibers become airborne.

A recent article in U.S. News & World Report warns of the potential dangers lurking in people’s homes. The article provocatively asks, “Is your home a death trap?” It goes on to detail some of the numerous places where homes, particularly those built before the 1980s, may have asbestos. Homeowners in cities like Delray Beach, Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, West Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Riviera Beach and Boynton Beach can hire asbestos abatement west palm beach businesses to test for the presence of asbestos in houses and other structures. If they find asbestos, these businesses can safely remove this harmful building material, once commonly used in the construction of homes and other structures. Asbestos has been found to cause terrible health problems when ingested or inhaled. This article, by Devon Thorsby, published on March 18^th. Read it here:  http://realestate.usnews.com/real-estate/articles/is-your-home-a-death-trap-dont-take-the-chance-test-for-asbestos/.

Asbestos Testing Available for Homeowners Across South Florida

People who own older homes in South Florida may want to take extra precautions to protect themselves, their families and their pets from asbestos exposure. Asbestos becomes more brittle over time, making it more dangerous. When asbestos becomes friable, it can more easily become airborne. Asbestos fibers, microscopic in size, can inflict serious damage within people’s lungs and gastrointestinal tracts. Asbestos can cause cancers of the lungs, stomach and other organs. This compound also causes mesothelioma and asbestosis. Businesses and residents in the Florida Keys, Miami-Dade County, Broward County, Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast can hire asbestos removal south florida firms to test for asbestos on their premises and carefully and properly eliminate it.

Before beginning remodeling projects and renovations, owners and managers of older properties should have them tested for asbestos, as this kind of work can cause asbestos to break loose and become airborne, making it more dangerous to people and pets in the vicinity. Workers should wear air masks to avoid breathing in harmful particles.

Failure to Properly Handle Asbestos Can Lead to Lawsuits

Asbestos should be handled and removed by trained professionals.

Public utilities, communications companies, construction companies and other entities have found themselves as defendants in lawsuits by workers and former employees who allege that their employers did not adequately warn them about potential asbestos exposure or neglected to properly equip them for this exposure. Due to its extensive use in flooring, roofing, insulation, piping and other facets of building and construction in past decades, asbestos has become a major health concern for many people as well as a major factor in civil litigation. Companies across South Florida involved in home renovations and home reconstruction should consider hiring the best asbestos removal south florida firms to  from these properties before they begin work on the properties, to avoid unnecessarily exposing their workers to asbestos, a chemical that can cause numerous medical problems.

Asbestos exposure can lead to severe respiratory complications, as well as mesothelioma and different types of cancer. Exposure can cause health problems years or even decades later. Thousands of premature deaths in the United States each year have links to victims’ previous exposure to asbestos, a naturally-occurring compound once used heavily in construction, telecommunications, shipbuilding and other industries. Like the used of other harmful materials like lead, use of asbestos has greatly diminished in recent decades. Asbestos abatement companies, much like lead abatement palm beach companies, can minimize the risks of exposure to this and other chemicals and harmful substances.

It behooves businesses and property owners to proactively address the risks posed by substances such as asbestos, mold and lead before they sicken workers or others. Failure to do so may expose these entities to litigation down the road.

How to Handle Asbestos in Your South Florida Home

Hire professional asbestos abatement businesses
to safely remove asbestos from your home.

Although the mere presence of asbestos in a home or building does not necessarily represent an emergency or require the work of firms in the asbestos removal south florida industry, property owners, landlords and homeowners may want to contact such businesses if they plan to perform renovations such as room additions and remodeling. Licensed asbestos abatement firms in the Palm Beach area typically adhere to industry standards to quickly and carefully get rid of this potentially harmful substance linked to pulmonary diseases and cancers.

Removing asbestos from an older home or structure in the Palm Beaches does not necessarily require the services of a professional asbestos abatement company, although such firms typically have the experience, knowledge and equipment to perform this valuable work safely. Asbestos abatement palm beach businesses will carefully remove asbestos from walls, ceilings, air ducts, flooring and other areas of a home or building where it may exist, taking precautions to not disturb the substance or cause it to become airborne.

When they become airborne, microscopic asbestos fibers can silently and invisibly get inhaled or ingested by people. Years or even decades later, these toxic fibers can cause severe physical damage to organs like the lungs and the stomach, and they may also cause the growth of cancerous tumors.

Anytime anyone works around asbestos, he or she should take precautions to protect his or her eyes, noses, mouths and skin from this harmful substance. Experts advise that people wear breathing masks, safety goggles and protective clothing to prevent contact with the skin and eyes and prevent inhalation or ingestion.