Repairing or remodelling a home on one’s own, removing and replacing pipes, and drilling into walls all offer the risk of exposing the occupants to asbestos. Instances when asbestos could cause harm in a typical home are provided below.
Renovations to the Attic’s Covering
While working on the attic of his 1960s house, John came across piles of brown insulation that resembled pebbles. He opted to replace the existing insulation with fibre glass to save money on heating expenditures during the winter. After putting the old insulation in trash bags, he installed the new.
Vermiculite insulation contains asbestos, but John didn’t know that. Through his disturbance, asbestos fibres were dispersed into the air. John would not have messed with the insulation if he had known it contained asbestos.
Garage Full with Auto Repair Junk
The 1965 Corvette Stingray that Ralph drives is a source of great pleasure for him. Ralph preferred to do the brake job on his squeaky car in his own garage. He found caked dirt on the brake drums when he removed the rear tyres. He used a hammer to beat the dust off the walls and an air compressor to blow it away.
Compressed air used to clean some brake parts may cause the emission of toxic asbestos fibres into the air. Ralph should have either brought his car in for service or taken the time to thoroughly wipe down the brake drums with a moist cloth.
When the Asbestos-Rich Drywall Is Hit By the Drill
Erica won a painting at a silent auction, and she was so excited that she decided to hang it up right away. She measured everything twice and drilled in drywall anchors to keep the painting in place. The painting required further drilling of hanging holes due to its bumpy surface.
She had absolutely no idea that the drywall in her house was contaminated with asbestos. When she punched a hole in the drywall to hang a picture, asbestos fibres poured into her home. Erica should have known better than to mess with the walls because they contained asbestos survey south wales.
Methods for Removing Vinyl Tiles from the Floor
Herman has bought an old, rundown house built in the 1950s in his hometown and has started renovating the master bathroom. He began by pulling up every single vinyl floor tile. In preparation for installing the new tiles, he scraped out the old ones.
Asbestos was commonly used in vinyl floor tiles during the 1950s. Toxic asbestos fibres may be released when the old flooring is scraped away. What Herman should have done was to place the new tile directly on top of the old one.
Popcorn Ceilings: A Waste of Time and Money
Janine said she was weary of staring at the rough surface on her ceilings and decided to remove the popcorn texture and replace it with a smooth coat of paint. She put on a dust mask and goggles before going to get her stepladder. Before she was satisfied, she scraped, sanded, and painted several times.
Most people don’t know that popcorn ceilings and other textured ceiling treatments can conceal asbestos. Tiny asbestos fibres were released when Janine scraped off the popcorn finish and easily permeated her dust mask. She should have been in touch with a business that specialises in the safe and efficient removal of asbestos and interior demolition.
Expert asbestos abatement services are the safest option, but they can be pricey. If homeowners are unsure whether or not to completely remove their popcorn ceiling, they can take a sample by scraping it off and analysing it themselves using a commercially available kit. Safety equipment, such as goggles and a N95 respirator, should be worn at all times, even if only a tiny sample needs to be extracted for testing.
Updating Pipe Coverings
While doing some maintenance on his late 1800s Victorian home, Brent found that the insulation around some of the hot water pipes in the basement was beginning to disintegrate. He used a utility knife to cut away the old insulation and replaced it with fibreglass to maintain the insulation’s thermal performance.
Asbestos insulation is commonplace around older plumbing systems, which Brent should have known. The cutting of the damaged material discharged even more fibres into the air, which may have already posed an exposure risk. Brent should have gotten in touch with an asbestos professional for assistance in concealing the asbestos insulation, rather than attempting to do it on his own.
