About Asbestos: Facts and Dangers

Although the amount of asbestos found in our communities today is becoming scarce due to laws and regulations, it still remains a hazardous material when encountered. According to the Wall Street Journal, “Most exposure today comes when old insulation or tiling is disturbed during construction projects… and proper precautions are not taken to avoid breathing in dust.”

This is why hiring a certified contractor for home remodels, projects, and emergencies is essential. Here are some facts from the California Department of Health Services that homeowners should know about asbestos:

• Asbestos is a mineral fiber with qualities that make it useful for electrical and thermal insulation.
• Because of its high-insulation characteristic, it was often added to building materials.
• California’s most commonly-reported asbestos material is “popcorn” or “cottage cheese” ceiling known as “acoustic ceiling materials.”
• Asbestos can be found in vinyl floor tiles and floor mastic used in its installation; drywall or drywall patching compound; wall or ceiling textures; insulation for furnaces, stoves, pipes and electrical; some roofing shingles and mastic, as well as siding materials. 
• Asbestos-containing materials are generally found in materials that were manufactured prior to 1985, however, some of the manufactured materials were still being sold for several years after this. 
• If your home or building was built prior to 1988, you may want to have your home tested for asbestos-containing materials prior to removal of wall, ceiling, floor or roof materials.
• Your health may be compromised when inhaling asbestos fibers.
• Most people do not develop health problems when exposed to small amounts of asbestos.
• A combination of smoking and asbestos inhalation is found to be particularly hazardous.
• Asbestos can only be identified by a trained professional with special laboratory equipment.
• If you have asbestos in your home, you can remove it, contain it or live with it.
• The only way asbestos can affect your health is if the fibers are disturbed, become airborne and are inhaled. 
• Removing and disposing of asbestos should only be done by a certified professional.

Refer to the California Department of Health Services worksheet for additional information, useful phone numbers and informative websites: Click Here.

For asbestos-related issues in your home, call Specialized Outsource Solutions immediately. We take calls 24/7 and will refer local, certified contractors to remove and properly dispose of asbestos-containing materials. Call 1.888.589.1868 or click on our “Request Services” button from our website at www.sos-crnetwork.com.

California Department of Health Services. Indoor Air Quality Info Sheet, Asbestos in the Home and Workplace. March 2000. http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/IAQ/Documents/IAQ_Asbestos_2000-03.pdf

Searcey, Dionne. The Wall Street Journal. “Q&A: What’s the Asbestos Risk Today?”. March 10, 2013.