Asbestos Testing
There are millions of homes and buildings in the United States that still contain asbestos products. It has been estimated that as many as twenty thousand individuals will die from asbestos exposure each year for the next 30 years. The only sure way to identify these potentially deadly asbestos products is to perform asbestos testing, either by hiring a professional asbestos abatement contractor or by purchasing and using an asbestos testing kit. Easy-to-use kits that can be used by homeowners to test for asbestos are available online and at many leading home centers for as little as seven dollars. This makes it much cheaper to do the asbestos testing on your own rather than hiring professional asbestos removal companies to perform the testing.
Asbestos is a mineral that has been used in the manufacture of thousands of products over the past 150 years. Once it became clear that breathing high levels of asbestos fibers leads to increased risk of mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other deadly diseases, its use was restricted by the Environmental Protection Agency. It is now commonplace to see asbestos testing performed wherever asbestos is suspected to be present. Most individuals that develop cancer from asbestos exposure receive high levels of exposure over long periods of time. A single exposure to high levels is usually not sufficient to bring about asbestos disease symptoms.
Asbestos is not in itself dangerous, but only becomes a hazard when its fibers become airborne where they can be inhaled deep into the lung tissue. Asbestos poisoning occurs when a person inhales a high level of asbestos fibers over an extended period of time. Once asbestos fibers have become lodged in the lung tissue, they can lead to much scar tissue formation, lung cancer, or other types of cancer.
The Importance of Asbestos Testing
Individuals who develop asbestos-caused cancers from asbestos exposure do not usually show symptoms of the disease until 20 or 30 years after being exposed. And by the time it has been diagnosed it is usually in its later stages and cannot be treated successfully. This is why asbestos testing is so important, because it’s much safer to eliminate the risk of exposure than it is to diagnose and treat asbestos diseases. Once you’ve been exposed, usually in a workplace setting, your only recourse may be in the form of asbestos lawsuits through specialized asbestos law firms.
If you think your home may contain asbestos products it is important to carry out asbestos testing immediately. Asbestos testing involves identifying possible asbestos-containing materials, taking samples of those products, and then having them analyzed in a laboratory. Normally, most homeowners hire an asbestos abatement contractor to do the asbestos testing, but it can also be done by the homeowner with an asbestos testing kit. Asbestos test kits are found in many home centers, pharmacies, and other stores, as well as online. They are very cheap to buy and allow any individual to perform their own testing.
Perform Your Own Asbestos Testing
If you choose to do your own asbestos testing your first step is to buy the asbestos test kit and then follow the instructions included in the kit. In summary, the test involves identifying any potential asbestos-containing product, removing a sample from the product, placing the sample in a sealable bag, and mailing it to a lab facility where it can be tested. The time it takes to get the results vary depending on the lab the samples are sent to, but they will usually be available anywhere from 24 hours to 1 week.
When tackling the job of testing for asbestos there are a few safety rules that must be followed. Asbestos awareness training is a good idea, but not absolutely necessary. When removing samples it is important to wear some type of facial mask that will prevent the inhalation of any asbestos fibers that may become released into the air. To minimize or prevent asbestos fibers from becoming airborne during the asbestos testing procedure, it is important to keep the possible asbestos-containing products wet the entire time. This is done by spraying the materials with a solution of water and liquid detergent.
After removing a piece of sample material it should immediately be placed in a bag, such as a Ziploc bag, and sealed completely. The bag will then be labeled according to the instructions contained in the asbestos testing kit and then mailed to a lab. Most asbestos testing kits will include at least one address of a lab where you can send the samples to. Once the results come back, if the presence of asbestos is verified, the next step is to decide the best solution for removing the risk of exposure to the hazardous materials.
There are three options that you’ll have available to you if your asbestos testing determines that you have asbestos products in your home. If the product is in good condition it can often just be left alone. As long as there is no danger of any asbestos fibers becoming airborne, there is no risk of asbestos exposure. If the product is damaged or decayed in any way it should be removed or encapsulated. Asbestos abatement contractors can perform either of these tasks for you. Asbestos testing can give you peace of mind and help you and your loved ones remain safe from exposure.
