Asbestos Licensing Regulations Article
Asbestos exposure and asbestos related occupation.
Asbestos used in products in the past were either bonded or friable. Bonded asbestos were in products that will not release asbestos fibres if left undisturbed. Bonded asbestos materials are mainly cement products such as sheeting used in roof, ceilings and walls, and vinyl floor products. Friable asbestos products can be easily turned into powder and hence poses a greater risk of exposure.
Friable asbestos is asbestos containing material that in the dry state can easily crumble or turn into dust. It was found in acoustic ceilings and tiles, types of plasters, wallboards, joint compounds and thermal insulation for pipes and water heaters. Use of friable asbestos materials was banned in 1978.
Older buildings, either private or commercial, may contain a range of asbestos containing products such as sheeting and cladding. Asbestos in buildings were used up to the latter part of the 1980s. According to the United State Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), about 733,000 public buildings and schools contain asbestos products.
If you suspect there is asbestos in your home, consult a licensed asbestos expert to do a survey and do sample testing. Do not endeavour to remove it yourself. If it is stable and safe, Air Pollution Control may well suggest that you leave it undisturbed. To have it removed, enlist a licensed asbestos contractor. Do not try to remove it by yourself. Asbestos fibres are very small, naked to the eye and can go through filters.
Before research raised the link between asbestos exposure and lung cancers in the late 1970s, asbestos was used extensively in shipbuilding and construction.
Other areas where asbestos were used before regulations came in force are listed below.
Plumbing-Insulation -welding -Electrical
Floor cover-pipe fitting -paper mills
Aerospace-building engineering-demolition-US Navy
Car parts manufacture-protective clothing-warehouse-rubber industry
Home renovation-bulldozers-dockyards-building managers
Glass factory-excavation-mining-labourers
Sawyers-weavers-tinsmith
