Sydney is the capital of New South Wales, Australia, which is recognised as the largest city in the country. This city is known as the most important port in the South Pacific due to its strategic position and magnificent harbour. On top of that, Sydney is among the cities that prevalently utilised asbestos products in homes and buildings between the 1940s and the late 1980s.
A Quick Lowdown on Asbestos
Asbestos is a building material which is widely used in building industries due to their fire-resistant, durable, and good insulation properties. However, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) determined that asbestos is classified as a human carcinogen that can cause cancer and that asbestos exposure may also increase the risk of asbestosis. Because of this, a licensed contractor is only authorised to perform asbestos testing and removal in Sydney services to eliminate materials that potentially contain asbestos fibre effectively.
If your house in Sydney was constructed before 1990, there’s a possibility that the materials used to build it contains asbestos. Several buildings that are erected during this time have asbestos as well. If you believe that an area has asbestos fibres or dust, make sure not to disturb it. Rather, you should ask for a licensed contractor’s assistance to have that area checked and use their proven and tested asbestos testing and removal in Sydney. But before you contact tone, here are some of the areas that commonly show warning signs that your house contains asbestos:
Know the Construction Date
Before you proceed to inspect the visual asbestos signs, it’s important to check the date when your house was constructed. This way, you can determine whether your home contains asbestos materials utilised by homebuilders for floor tiles, roofs, ceilings, and walls during this time.
Pipe Insulation
White or grey asbestos was used before or during the 1980s to insulate pipes due to its great insulation and fireproofing properties. So inspect the kind of pipe insulation because it may have high asbestos content.
Vinyl Flooring Tiles
Compared to other tiles, vinyl flooring tiles most commonly have asbestos content. Meaning, you should also have your home’s flooring inspected and determine whether you have vinyl flooring. Builders widely used this flooring type during the 1980s. So, when you’re living in an old house, there’s a high possibility that your flooring has asbestos.
Cement Sheets
In older homes, cement sheets presumably contain asbestos. Other parts around the sheets that may have asbestos include the vent covers, cover traps, and light bases. An abatement company and asbestos testing can help verify whether your cement sheets hold asbestos.
Roofing Sheets
Corrugated roofing sheets mostly have asbestos content. They utilise white asbestos due to its durability. But regardless if it can make any roofing material sturdy, you may acquire mesothelioma cancer from being exposed to asbestos. Because of this, it is better to inspect for asbestos before it is too late. Also, if you are diagnosed with cancer, you obtain legal options against the party in charge. Thus, it’s important to hire an attorney to assist you in this situation.
Ceiling Tiles
Old ceiling tiles in old houses also have a chance of having asbestos contents.
Conclusion
Asbestos fibres can drastically affect your health negatively. The more you become exposed to these fibres, the more you are in danger of having an asbestos-related illness. Hence, if you want to keep your loved ones healthy and safe, keep all of the information above in mind. By doing so, you will know how to determine the existence of asbestos in your house accurately and take the restorative measures immediately.
