Asbestos refers to some occurring mineral fibers that belong to two groups, with one being the serpentine group, which will be made from chrysotile.
The other group is amphibole, which is made of crocidolite, anthophyllite, actinolite and tremolite. Because of how flexible it is, in the past, asbestos was viewed as one of the best minerals, as well as for its strength, flexibility and insulation from electricity, heat and chemical inertness.
Many industries used the materials plus it has over 3000 applications, and Australia was one of the highest users of asbestos. That was up before the mid-80s, and about one-third of all homes built in the country used products. Because of how much it was used throughout the world, asbestos material features a deadly legacy.
In Australia, asbestos was mined until late 1984. Between the 30’s and the 80’s, about 1.5 million tonnes of asbestos was brought into Australia.
When you find asbestos, you must always use a professional contractor for safe asbestos removal Cairns to be confident that all the correct regulations and guidelines are followed.
Asbestos Within The Home
About a third of homes in Australia contain asbestos. Generally speaking, if your home was built before the 80’s or before the mid-80’s, then the chances are your home contains asbestos materials.
If your home was built between the mid- the 80’s and 1990, then the chances are you still have asbestos materials, but if your home was built after 1990, then the chances are your home has no asbestos containing materials.
Asbestos or ACMs for short, are available in a variety of aspects of the home, which include the guttering, roof capping and sheeting and vinyl sheet flooring. Other areas include tile underlays carpet, tables and flexible building boards.
Fencing, some window putty and imitation brick cladding are areas where ACMs might be found. Then visit the asbestos awareness website if you would like to find out which asbestos looks like.
However, you can’t simply determine if it has asbestos inside it and looks at materials. By having a sample of the material tested in a laboratory that is accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities, the only way to be 100% sure is. You’ll find other labs that can conduct tests that are similar.
Obtaining A Survey
If you are a homeowner or renovator, then you definitely might be interested in obtaining an asbestos survey. If you don’t know for sure whether or not asbestos is present in your home, then consider getting an asbestos survey. This will help you know where its location is, as well as the best way to go about managing the risk.
The Sampling Process
It’s a good idea to have testing done at a laboratory that is accredited from the NATA, but should you do decide to select the sample on your own, then be sure you take precautions because you don’t want to become exposed to asbestos fibers.
You don’t want to expose others in the house to asbestos fibers. You want to make sure you have whatever you need, and you might be well prepared and ready before you start gathering samples.
Sampling company contact details:
Asbestos Watch Cairns
(07) 4088 1490
Cairns, Australia
asbestoswatchcairns.com.au
Natural Disasters And Asbestos
Natural disasters can cause damage to properties. When there are materials which contain asbestos is present in the property, this is concerning. This is because thereâs a chance that asbestos fibers could be released and whenever they do become released, then this might pose a health risk.
Your local or state government does have funding to clean asbestos up, as well as contingencies in place. You want to do your best to follow the instructions. These instructions were created to help you prevent exposing yourself to asbestos fibers caused by materials that have been damaged.
It is critical to remove and dispose of asbestos in a way that is proper. If you don’t know where to start, then contact your local council or your state emergency services.
They are going to let you know what to do as a result of a natural disaster in case of building damage, so be sure you contact them the next time your property suffers damage due to a fire, flood or some other type of natural disaster.
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