Where Can Asbestos Be Found in Your Home?
Asbestos is a toxic material that everybody is advised to avoid but where can asbestos be found in your home? It remains present in a lot of homes in Australia, particularly those built anywhere between the ‘40s to the ‘80s because asbestos was a common component of building materials at the time. In fact, before it was banned, there were about 3,000 products in Australia that contained asbestos.
If you live in an old house, it is highly likely that there is asbestos present in the structure. So where can asbestos be found in your home?
Licensed asbestos assessors say that asbestos may be found in the following areas in your house:
- Attic insulation
- Insulation around boilers, ducts, fireplaces, pipes, and sheeting
- Flashing and shingles
- Joint compounds on seams
- Old floor and ceiling tiles
- Pipe cement
Other areas of the house may also be contaminated with asbestos, so to correctly identify and establish how much asbestos you’re dealing with, it is best to hire a licensed asbestos assessor. This professional will go about the task in the thorough manner that the authorities require. They will conduct an air test and take care of samples procurement; these need to be done in the most minimally disturbing way so asbestos will not go airborne and get inhaled. After asbestos assessment, they will forward the samples to a NATA accredited laboratory for further examination.
Once it is established that asbestos is indeed in different parts of your house, removal is advised. If you’re considering performing the task yourself, you will only be allowed to do so if the area does not exceed 10 square metres and the total time of the removal does not exceed one hour in any 7-day period (this is according to the Occupational Health & Safety Regulations 2007 4.3 Division 7 Subdivision 2). Also, you will only be allowed to carry out the task yourself if you know how to properly handle removed asbestos and how to dispose of it.
If you are dealing with a bigger asbestos-contaminated area, hire licensed asbestos removalists. They will not only perform the task in a legally compliant fashion but they will also help you procure the permits required for removal (since asbestos is toxic, communities have to be prepared for the day removal will be carried out; the permits will give you the chance to talk to your neighbours about the job so they can be aware of the risks to prepare for). Lastly, they will take care of disposal for you, too; because asbestos is not dumped in regular landfills, there are special designated stations where it can be buried.
Call Jim’s Asbestos Removal on 131 546 or book online now for your free no-obligation quote!
