Asbestos is quite dangerous for health, especially for asthmatic people. It is usually common in old buildings, but throughout this text we are going to go more fully into the subject. We are going to discover what asbestos itself is and where it is located, we will also know the diseases it causes, how to avoid these risks and we will know if it is still used today when building buildings or not.
Until recently it was not discovered that asbestos was dangerous for health, in fact, the most dangerous types are crocidolite and amosite. For our own good, we must know that it is rare that there are buildings today that incorporate them into their constructions, but we will talk about this in more detail at the end of the text.
And it is that many times we have heard about asbestos in buildings phrases like “they are going to remove the asbestos from the ceiling”, “they are going to change the asbestos from the walls”. Throughout this text we will understand exactly what they mean and we will see photos so that we know what a raw asbestos mineral looks like.
From now on we warn that, if we have this material at home or have been in contact with it, it is best to carry out regular check-ups of our health, in search of possible lung cancer or another type of cancer.
What is it and where is it located?
Asbestos is a natural mineral made up of fibers that can be separated into fine filaments and is a very durable material. Its use was extended as an insulator , since it is not a conductor of electricity and is resistant to heat, fire and even treatment with chemical products. To make matters worse, it is used to reinforce cement and other building materials.
It is quite dangerous for health, in fact, it has been classified as carcinogenic for quite some time. This risk comes because when construction materials erode we can inhale these tiny fibers and they cause serious long-term consequences.
Today asbestos can be found in old buildings with this insulation system, also in brake linings, pipe linings, boilers, in ships, etc. As a general rule, buildings that have been being restored for several decades are usually to remove asbestos and place other types of material.
Wikipedia
diseases it causes
Asbestos causes various diseases, including different types of cancers. We are going to say below the most common diseases caused by this natural mineral that luckily is already retired. In addition, it is very difficult to run away from its adverse effects, and below we will understand why we say this.
The curious thing about asbestos is that the consequences are long-term and slow to appear, since a person who has been in contact with this mineral does not develop diseases until after 10 years, and even 20 years in some cases. In fact, there are those who participated in the construction of some buildings and 40 years later suffered the consequences with lung cancer.
- Asbestosis, also known as asbestosis. It is a serious respiratory disease that causes scarring of the lung and is irreversible.
- Mesothelioma, it is a type of incurable cancer that appears in the abdominal wall in the inner layer of the chest. It is common in asbestos workers, although facing the general society, it is a very rare type of cancer.
- Lung cancer.
How to avoid the risks
There are several ways to avoid the risks, and the most obvious is not to be in contact with this mineral . In fact, in the case of asbestosis, it continues to develop even after the risk has been removed from our lives. And it is that this mineral is so toxic and dangerous that not even reducing the dose of exposure, we get rid of the consequences.
To avoid risks, we can only say that it is best not to expose ourselves to risk, and if we have exposed ourselves, to have regular medical check-ups to catch lung cancer early. Experts say that vigilance and medical check-ups are the only way to reduce the risk of almost certain death from exposure to this mineral.
Other advice is not to handle the mineral, and if we have to deal with it, do it with all possible respiratory protection. It is not recommended to handle it without protection, in fact, the only people who can remove asbestos are qualified personnel with protective suits.
Is it still in use today?
Fortunately not . It began to stop being used in the 1970s when there was already certain evidence of its relationship in many cases of cancer due to exposure to this harmful mineral. What do remain are old buildings that have not been recently renovated and may contain this material among their construction materials.
European legislation, as we say in the following paragraphs, ended the use of this mineral throughout Europe more than a decade ago, but it does not guarantee that there are no risks. Therefore, we recommend exhaustive information again in case of buying a house that is more than 50 years old or renting a flat or building that is also more than 30 years old. That information is supposed to be provided to us, but just in case, we ask for it to save us respiratory problems in the not too distant future.
The legislation regarding asbestos prohibits the use of this mineral in Directive 1999/77/CE since January 1, 2005, so if we buy a house or rent an apartment prior to that date, it would be better to make sure that we do not has asbestos in pipes or as insulation.
In addition, Directive 2003/18/EC also prohibits the extraction of asbestos, as well as its use in the manufacture of other products and the transformation of this mineral. And if everything is not clear, in the other 2009 law of the European Parliament, it requires exhaustive control of safety measures and exposure to asbestos by workers.
