Happy TGIF my peeps! I hope you've had an awesome week so far and have a great weekend planned. Luckily, for me, it is a THREE day weekend - WOO HOO!!!!!!!! I am SO happy about that! I don't know about you, but I could use the extra day of rest - especially since this was the first full week back after the holidays AND vacation..... :)
On another note, I was contacted by Rachel Walker who represents MesotheliomaLawyerCenter.org a couple of days ago. She asked me if I would be willing to share with my readers the seriousness of Asbestos, and I said I would. She has written a very informative article below that I thought would be interesting and helpful. Anyway, the article was very well written and very informative. I hope you will be able to take something away from it, like I have. So without further adieu:
Asbestos: Think Before You Renovate Your Older Home
For many families who live in
older houses, home improvement and renovation projects are often affordable
alternatives to moving and buying a new home. Some families like the stability
of living in the same neighborhood for many years. Others may have more kids
over the years but prefer to upgrade their existing home to accommodate a
growing family instead of moving to a larger place. In many cases, some
families need to repair or replace aging or damaged areas of a house to keep it
in good condition.
If you live in a home that was
built before the early 1980s and you’re planning to do a home improvement
project, you need to know about the dangers of asbestos exposure. Asbestos is a
group of minerals once used extensively as a cheap but effective fire
retardant. Asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) are also good thermal and sound
insulators. Abundant and inexpensive, asbestos was used in many American
construction products for many years until the government linked asbestos
exposure to various diseases in the late 1970s. Consequently, most homes built
between 1940 and 1980 contain at least one asbestos-derived product.
According to the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), asbestos in older homes can be found in a variety of appliances,
products, and in different areas of the home, including:
●
Furnaces
●
Floor vinyl
●
Wall and attic insulation
●
Wood-burning stoves
●
Ceilings
●
Water pipes
●
Roofing and shingles
●
Some paints
●
Window caulking and glazing
●
Plaster
●
Siding material
If you live in a home where
asbestos is present, its imperative to understand that as the material ages and
becomes worn out, asbestos fibers may become friable and disturbed easily. Keep
this in mind before you start tearing down any walls or removing old
insulation. However, as long as any ACMs are left undisturbed, there usually isn’t a reason to worry. Yet,
it’s recommended to contact a qualified asbestos professional to be certain
that your home contain asbestos. Until then, no renovations or repairs should
be made on an older home.
Why Asbestos is So Dangerous
Asbestos contains long, thin
fibers that are undetectable to the human eye. These fibers can be easily
inhaled unbeknownst to the people who ingested them. Once the fibers are lodged
in the body, it’s difficult to remove them. Over time, the fibers can damage
the body’s organs, leading to life-threatening diseases such as malignant
mesothelioma.
Children in particular are more at
risk for ingesting asbestos fibers. According to the American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP), children breathe more rapidly, have a different lung
structure, and tend to consume more fluids than adults. Furthermore, children
have more time in which they can be exposed to asbestos. It’s imperative to never let
children play around furnaces or roughhouse around any areas in the home that
may contain asbestos.
Adults who worked in industries that
heavily relied on asbestos prior to regulations are at the highest risk for
developing asbestos-related diseases. In fact, since the 1970s, there have been
a multitude of asbestos lawsuits after thousands upon thousands of
people began to develop asbestosis, malignant mesothelioma, and other illnesses
caused by prolonged exposure to asbestos.
For more information on how to
locate a state-qualified asbestos professional in your area, contact your local
health department. Remember, you should never try to detect asbestos yourself,
and you should never start any home renovation projects before determining if
your home contains asbestos. For more detailed-information on asbestos, contact
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at 800-CDC-INFO.
Thanks for stopping by - I hope you have a WONDERFUL long weekend. Tomorrow my day will consist of FINALLY getting my CHRISTmas tree down - don't judge - we were gone for 9 days on vacation, remember??!! LOL
