Asbestos causes a lot of environmental and health complications that are entirely preventable with understanding the basics of avoiding contact. To protect yourself against unwanted contamination, you need to understand areas in your home or products likely to contain harmful fibres. If you suspect you have asbestos in any of these areas, you shouldn't attempt to cut, drill or remove the material without the help of a qualified and licensed removalist. Here are areas or products that will likely contain soft, flexible fibres.
1. Ceiling Panels
Older homes and buildings may contain tiles or ceiling panels bonded with asbestos and materials such as vinyl. This is because the mineral was a common material utilised for preparing ceiling materials, including adhesives, to bond the tiles together. The mineral was popular in ceiling applications due to its insulation and heat resistance qualities. That said, the application was also highly regulated due to health and environmental concerns. If you want to perform maintenance work on an old ceiling, it's best to have it tested before causing any disturbances.
2. Roofing Shingles
In the past, roofing materials included asbestos fibres to strengthen and increase durability when constructing a home. Although the use of this material has declined since the 1980s, your home likely contains these deadly fibres if it was built before the 1950s. The mineral was widely used in roofing shingles due to its lightweight nature, rot resistance, and easy to work with.
3. Brake Linings and Vehicle Parts
Yes, you read that right! Asbestos was also widely used in the automotive industry due to its affordability and heat resistance capabilities. Although the brake pads and linings containing this mineral have long phased out, you can still encounter the fibres in some vehicles today due to sales in the aftermarkets after the early 1980s ban. That said, it is almost impossible to tell if your brake lining contains this harmful product by merely looking at it, and you need the help of a licensed asbestos removal specialist when handling an old car.
Despite knowing areas, you are likely to encounter asbestos, the presence of these harmful fibres can be hard to identify without proper sampling, a job that should be left to the professionals. If you are concerned about exposure in any of the mentioned areas, then schedule an asbestos removal appointment to avoid environmental contamination or health complications later down the line.
