What Do You Know About Asbestos?

A lot of people are nowadays paying very much attention to asbestos and its side effects. Asbestos is a cluster of minerals that occur naturally as thin detachable fibers. Asbestos is further classified in groups of chrysotile and amphibole. Asbestos was widely used because of specific astonishing properties that this cluster of minerals contained. It was a bad conductor of electricity which was very good for construction companies. It was heat resistant, fire resistant and good chemical resistance.

Asbestos has been widely used in the construction industry to strengthen cement, to make plastics materials stronger. It was also used in construction industry in roofing as a fireproof material and also to make room sound proof. In car industry it is used to make brake liners and clutch plates. Other widespread uses were for the production of floor and ceiling tiles, adhesives and paints.

Asbestos can pose serious health consequences if a person is exposed to it for a very long time. It can cause health problems such Mesothelioma which is a rare form of the thin membranes that actually surround the lungs and abdomen. Asbestos can also threat a person’s life with lung cancer which is the leading cause of death due to asbestos exposure.

It can affect any person and does not limit itself to one kind or race. However there is a high risk of asbestos amongst workers who handle materials which contain asbestos in the construction company. It can also affect shipyard workers who are involved in the breaking down and demolishing ships for scraps or shipyard workers repairing the old ships. These groups of people not only affect themselves but anyone whom they immediately come into contact with.

Many of the asbestos symptoms do not show for many years usually after the exposure and could show after 40 years of your first exposure. However if the exposure is of serious nature then you may see symptoms of it such as shortness of breath, constant chest pain, persistent cough, sudden loss of appetite, nausea and sudden fever. The earlier you get your symptoms checked out by a doctor the less damage it will cause you.

If you experience any of the above mentioned symptoms then do not panic because it doesn’t necessarily means that you are being affected by an asbestos related health problem. It could be due to any other health related issue. However it is still advised to get checked out by a physician just to be on the safe side.

If you are an owner of a building or you work somewhere you know might be a risk of asbestos then you can call in different asbestos management survey companies. These companies analyze the issue, locate the area affected by asbestos in the building and can inform you of ways to tackle it. It advised to take serious notice of asbestos affected area and carry out what’s necessary to avoid causing any health damages.

Fonte: Asbestos Daily News