Old Furnace Asbestos Soil Dangers

Asbestos is a highly regulated health hazard that the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration describes as an extremely dangerous substance that threatens job-site exposure to approximately 1.3 million employees of the construction and manufacturing industries. Construction workers face exposure to the substance all the time, since asbestos is still used in construction materials. Asbestos is not only a threat to those workers, but it also poses a threat in old buildings, where the construction materials and old furnaces are made with asbestos, and threaten exposure if somehow ruptured or disturbed. Asbestos can cause significant health problems to a human being if its tiny fibers become airborne. Old furnaces should be checked by a professional.

Technical Explanation and Usefulness of Asbestos

• Asbestos is actually a category that includes a number of different extremely high-strength fibrous minerals. In scientific terms, these fibrous minerals contain different forms of amosite, crocidolite, tremolite, actinolite, anthophyllite, and chrysotile (serpentine). Asbestos fibers are chemical and heat resistant, which historically made the use of asbestos ideal for construction and manufactured goods, like building materials, cement products, and parts of car components, such as the brake and clutch. Asbestos is still used in some construction materials and manufactured goods because it acts as a fire retardant.

Where Asbestos Is Found

• The asbestos scares that arise in old buildings shouldn't come as a surprise to the occupants. Because of its long history in construction materials, asbestos is in the materials and foundation of many older buildings, especially those constructed before the 1960s. Also, the substance is still used today for fire proofing and insulation, although it is not present in the dangerous way it was before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deemed it a high-risk health hazard and sought strict regulation. In 1989, the EPA released a summary of asbestos-containing materials, and found asbestos exists in a wide array of pipelines, floor tilings, car parts, building foundations, and roofing materials. Many people are uncertain about asbestos presence in their home, and the EPA advises that homes should be inspected by a professional.

The Danger of an Old Furnace

• It makes sense that asbestos was used in the manufacturing of many old furnaces, since asbestos acts as a fire retardant. As long as the manufactured good stays completely intact and undisturbed, the asbestos does not pose a threat. However, there is nothing that can ever guarantee that a product or construction will stay intact and not suffer disturbance or damage. Any asbestos-made object--be it an entire building or a single roof shingle or an old heater--that is punctured or damaged at all makes the substance airborne. If the old furnace were to crack or break, the asbestos soils would become microscopic clouds that fill the air, usually invisible to the naked eye, and exposed people could suffer serious health conditions.

Health Threats

• The scary part of asbestos exposure is that its effects can take years to materialize in the body. Exposure to asbestos creates a dangerously high risk of lung disease. The chances of suffering from asbestos-induced lung disease grow with exposure. The results can be deadly, even though the symptoms of the disease don't occur until far after the exposure. Asbestos causes three main lung diseases: lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. These diseases are potentially fatal, and asbestosis has no cure.

Signs and Symptoms of Exposure

• Symptoms of lung disease include a changing in the breathing pattern, difficulty breathing, a wheezing and crackling sound during inhalation, a persistent cough, an increasingly hoarse voice, shortness of breath, and chest pains. Anyone who suspects or is certain that he or she has been exposed to asbestos should immediately see a physician, followed by a lung specialist.

Warning

• Test old furnaces for asbestos presence. Asbestos experts, who are skilled professionals specifically trained for hazardous materials testing, are the only people qualified to make the determination of asbestos existence. The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) offers a list of asbestos inspectors and laboratories to test for asbestos in old furnaces, or any other suspected place or object. Reach NIST at [phone]. The EPA is a good source of plentiful, current, and thorough information on asbestos.