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What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is a mineral fiber found in rocks, of naturally
occurring silicate minerals that can be separated into fibers.
There are several kinds of asbestos fibers, all of which are
strong, durable, and resistant to heat and fire. They are also
long, thin and flexible, so that they can be woven into cloth,
because of the qualities; asbestos has been used in thousands of
consumer, industrial, automotive, scientific and building
products.
Asbestos has been used in industrial sites, homes, schools,
shipyards and commercial buildings since the twentieth Century.
There are several types of asbestos fibers, of which three have
been used for commercial applications:
* Chrysotile
or white asbestos. It is white-gray in color and found in
Serpentine rock. It comes mainly from Canada.
* Amosite or
brown asbestos comes from Southern Africa.
* Crocidolite
or blue asbestos comes from southern Africa and Australia
Is Asbestos Dangerous?\
Asbestos has been shown to cause cancer of the lung and stomach
according to studies of workers and others exposed to asbestos.
There is no level of exposure to asbestos fibers that experts can
assure is completely safe. Some asbestos materials can break into
small fibers which can float in the air and can be inhaled. The
tiny fibers are so small they cannot be seen with the naked eye.
They can pass through the filters of normal vacuum cleaners and get
back into the air. Once inhaled, asbestos fibers can become lodged
into the lung tissue for a long time. After many years cancer
or mesothelioma can develop.
How Can You Tell if There is Asbestos in Your
Home?
It can be difficult to tell whether your home has materials
containing asbestos in it just by looking.
As a general rule, if your house was built:
* Before the
mid 1980s, it is highly likely that it would have materials
containing asbestos.
* Between the
mid 1980s and 1990, it is likely that it would have materials
containing asbestos.
* After 1990,
it is highly unlikely it would have materials containing
asbestos.
If you are not sure that a material contains asbestos, play it
safe and assume that it does.