Health Protection

                        F a c t s

Asbestos

What Is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring, strong mineral fibre that is resistant to heat and many chemicals. Asbestos has been primarily used as an insulator or fire retardant. Many building materials have been found to contain asbestos, such as plaster, joint compound, floor and ceiling tile, pipe and duct insulation, gasket, siding, shingles, and a host of other materials. If asbestos fibres are enclosed or tightly bound in a product (ie. siding or floor tiles) there are no significant health risks. Asbestos poses health risks only when fibres are present in the air that people breathe.

Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos must be inhaled to cause health problems. Intact and undisturbed material that contains asbestos presents no risk of exposure. However, when the material is damaged or in a form that easily crumbles, fibers may become airborne causing a potential for exposure. Having asbestos in your home is usually NOT a serious issue; however, the danger lies when asbestos material may become damaged over time. Damaged asbestos materials may release asbestos fibres and become a health hazard. The best thing to do with asbestos materials that are in good condition is to leave them alone; disturbing them may create a health hazard! 

Asbestos fibres are a part of the natural environment including the air we breathe and the water we drink. Virtually everyone is exposed to asbestos; however, current scientific evidence suggests that people who become ill from asbestos are almost always those who are exposed on a day-to-day basis when they work directly with the material. As a person’s exposure to these fibres increase, either by breathing more fibres or by breathing fibres for a longer time, his or her risk of disease increases. Disease is very unlikely to result from a single, high-level exposure or from a short period of exposure at lower levels.

Health Effects of Asbestos Exposure

Exposure to asbestos can affect you depending on the following factors:

• Concentration of asbestos fibres in the air.

• Length of the exposure. 

• How often you were exposed.

• Size of asbestos fibres inhaled.

• Time since the initial exposure.

When inhaled in significant quantities, asbestos fibres can cause asbestosis (scarring of the lungs, which makes breathing difficult), mesothelioma (rare cancer of the lining of the chest or abdominal cavity) and lung cancer. The link between exposure to asbestos and other types of cancers is less clear. Smoking, combined with inhaled asbestos, greatly increases the risk of lung cancer.

Most people are exposed to small amounts of asbestos in their daily lives but do not develop these health problems. Asbestos material that crumbles easily, or has been sawed, scraped or sanded into a powder, is more likely to create a health hazard.

How to Manage an Asbestos Problem

If you think asbestos may be present in your home, don’t panic. The best thing to do is leave asbestos material in good condition alone. Material in good condition will not release asbestos fibres. The danger occurs when fibres are released and inhaled. 

If asbestos material is damaged, or if you are going to make changes in your home that may disturb it, it should be repaired or removed by a professional.

Asbestos Do's and Don'ts for Homeowners

• DO keep activities to a minimum in areas with damaged asbestos material.

• DO take every precaution to avoid damaging asbestos material.

• DON’T dust, sweep or vacuum debris that may contain asbestos.

• DON’T saw, sand, scrape, or drill holes in asbestos materials.

• DON’T use abrasive pads or brushes on power strippers to strip wax from asbestos flooring. Never use a power stripper on a dry floor.

• DON’T track material that could contain asbestos through the house. If you cannot avoid walking through the area, clean it with a wet mop.