Can I See Asbestos In My Drywall?
Unless you have your home or business tested for asbestos, you cannot physically see the tiny fibers in the drywall or anywhere in your home. Asbestos isn’t too dangerous unless they’re disturbed they can break into tiny microscopic particles that can be inhaled, and give you serious illness and/or life-threatening cancers including mesothelioma.
Not only can your asbestos live in the drywall of your home or business, but it can also be found in insulation, ceiling tiles, or floor tiles that are falling apart.
Not all asbestos is the same, there are two general types of asbestos-like chrysotile(fibrous serpentine) and amphibole. Chrysotile asbestos has long, flexible fibers, and this type of asbestos can be found in commercial products mostly. The Amphibole fibers are brittle and have a rod or needle-like shape. They’re not as common as chrysotile asbestos.
You can’t tell by just looking at your wall or floor to see if you have asbestos. We recommend having your home tested for asbestos before any renovations are done that could possibly disturb asbestos.
You can be exposed to asbestos by simply breathing in asbestos fibers. Moving rocks, soil, or products that contain asbestos can release fibers into the air. If you breathe in the fibers, they can remain in your lungs for a lifetime. If asbestos remains undisturbed they’re less harmful and you’re unlikely to be exposed to them.
You can reduce your chance of exposure to asbestos in many ways. You can simply avoid touching or disturbing the materials that may contain asbestos or the materials that are known to have them. Wear the right personal protective equipment, and have your home or building tested if it was built in the 1970s or before then.
If you think you may have asbestos in your home or building, it’s important to be concerned, but don’t panic, and take action.
- Be aware – Breathing asbestos can cause cancer and other diseases, it’s important to be aware of the problems asbestos can cause.
- Don’t panic – Asbestos-related diseases develop after many years of regular exposure to relatively high levels of asbestos.
- Take action – Reduce the possible asbestos exposure and the possibility of developing any disease in the future, by having your home tested.
You can reduce asbestos exposure inside of your home or building, by minimizing possible sources, prevent dirt and dust from entering your home, clean properly and frequently.
If you believe you may have asbestos in your home or building, schedule an inspection and test with Asbestos Project Management today.
Back To Blog