So you plan to remove asbestos siding from your home yourself. Are you nuts? Asbestos is nasty stuff. What is asbestos anyway? Asbestos is a bundle of naturally occurring fibrous minerals found in metamorphic rocks and soils. Asbestos fibers are long and thin, and easily separated from one another. As long as the asbestos remains undisturbed, there is no way for the fibers to be released into the air and inhaled. But once asbestos fibers are released, they become problematic: Exposure causes lung cancer, mesothelioma, and other cancers. Before you go any further with this project, here are a few things you should know:
- The Definitive Guide. Washington State's Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has an excellent step by step guide on how to remove asbestos siding yourself. Please click through to this 16-page guide on how to remove asbestos siding properly; it is the best how-to guide available online.
- Asbestos Exposure. Asbestos is resistant to heat and chemicals, and electricity, which is why it has been used as an insulating material in shingles, ceiling and floor tiles, insulation, cement pipe and many other products (see a sample list of asbestos-containing products here). As long as the asbestos remains undisturbed, it is not problematic. However, all it takes is one small break for asbestos fibers to be released into the air. And once released, persons breathing the air may breathe in the asbestos fibers. The scary part is that health investigators have found asbestos-related diseases in individuals with only brief exposures. There is no known minimum exposure required to create illness-in other words, one microscopic fiber can have devastating consequences....
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Author: Staff Writer