By now it’s common knowledge that asbestos can be nasty stuff. Essentially, if your home was built before 1980, it may have asbestos in it.
Asbestos, a mineral found in rock and soil, and was widely used for many years in the construction business because asbestos was resistant both to high temperatures and to electricity.
If you have a house with asbestos, realize you and your family are not likely in danger if the asbestos is sealed. However, the moment you suspect there is asbestos that may be crumbling and airborne, you need to take action. Check out iSeekPlant for asbestos removal.
1. Testing first
The first thing to expect is that if you may have asbestos and are doing any kind of drilling, sawing, or construction, or you have any area of your home such as your walls that might be deteriorating, you really need to know whether you have or don’t have asbestos in your home or not.
Just because there is crumbling dust somewhere does not mean you do have asbestos. It could simply be a harmless material.
So test first, There are simple home tests you can do, where you sweep a sample into a kit and send it to a lab, although most people would prefer to have a professional take care of even the testing. They will come, wear a respirator and a disposable cloth sheet and booties, and sweep the samples up for you. But only a lab can really tell whether you have asbestos or not.
A home testing kit can cost as little as $20 to $100 while expect to pay roughly around $500 for a professional tester to do it. Obviously, hiring a professional is safer.
2. Put up warning signs
While waiting for the test results, you or your professional will need to put up warning signs cautioning anyone to stay away. This is not only a precaution but generally following state laws.
3. Notify the proper officials
Your state and possibly local governments will want to know if lab tests come back to indicate you have asbestos in your home.
Follow their guidance, but generally, the guidance will be to hire a local professional to repair any damage and file an asbestos removal plan.
4. Hire a professional to do the repairs
While many Do it your self will want to try and take care of any asbestos problems for themselves, the Environmental Protection Agency cautions that dealing with asbestos is not for the amateur. And in fact, in many localities, there may be strict laws about who can and who cannot do asbestos remediation.
Trust the professionals and pony up the dough required.
5. Have a family health check-up
Most people, realizing they and their family might be exposed to asbestos will consult with their general doctor. However, if there is the slightest doubt that any of the family members might have been exposed they may be referred to a specialist although short-time exposure to asbestos rarely causes long-term problems.
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