Asbestos Roof

Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral made up of bundles of fibers which has been widely used in construction material. It served as an excellent insulator of heat and noise, until the 1970s when The Environmental Protection Agency found the material to be unsafe.

Since then, it has been removed from building materials, but it still exists in properties that were built before this information was discovered. In most cases, the asbestos cannot harm anyone unless it’s foundation is disrupted. This occurs when buildings are torn down, renovated or reconstructed.

Why is this important? Asbestos can be extremely harmful if they’re exposed to the air you’re breathing. When this happens, they cannot be seen by the human eye, but they settle into areas and materials and can cause serious damage to your lungs. Breathing in asbestos can cause mesothelioma, asbestosis, and even cancer.

Mesothelioma is cancer that forms in the lining of the lungs or abdomen. When it forms in the lungs, however, it is always associated with asbestos. Mesothelioma occurs from ongoing exposure to asbestos, but it can become a malignant cancer meaning that it is fatal. Some other forms of cancer- including lung, stomach and colon- have been traced back to asbestos exposure.

Asbestosis is also a result of prolonged exposure to asbestos, but instead of becoming cancerous, it is a chronic inflammation in the lungs. Difficulty breathing, a dry cough, chest pain and loss of appetite are some of the symptoms that occur with Asbestosis.