Asbestos Is a Killer. Don't Risk Your Health When You Renovate
Finding asbestos when renovating can be alarming. Asbestos is not the only risk to your health in your home.
There are areas of health and safety you want to have checked off before you renovate. For example, how your indoor air quality can affect your health for years to come.
We want you to stay healthy so that you can enjoy your renovated home for years to come.
This article is the first of three on staying healthy when renovating.
We all know that asbestos is terrible and will cause cancer. In this article I’ll be looking at asbestos when renovating and why you need to know about asbestos. What you look for to know if you have asbestos building materials in your home. Furthermore, how you can manage these asbestos materials when renovating.
The last thing you want to do is start demolishing your home, ripping out walls, roofing and flooring materials. Without first checking if any of these are asbestos building materials. As it will be the cause for you and your family to develop cancer in 40 years.
Asbestos When Renovating
So, you own your house, and you are thinking to yourself that you want to renovate. You want to update your home so that it is a better living environment.
As well as that, you want to have more of a connection to your garden and your back yard. In addition, you want to get rid of all the clutter that fills your home. Apart from this, and most of all, you want a beautiful home.
You may already suffer from hay fever or allergies. And you could suspect that somewhere in your house there is something that is causing them. And your partner might not be suffering at all, which doesn’t help your cause to make your home allergy free.
The first word that your partner says about renovating is ‘budget’. And the second is ‘cost’. That is, keeping the cost of renovating down is the most important thing, even before you start.
Well, I would say that there are more important things to keep in mind when it comes to your home renovation.
And at the top of the list is your health. Next on the list, as a close second, is your family, shortly followed by the type of home you and your family want for your home life.
I’m not saying that managing the cost of your home renovation is not essential. It is.
But we all take our health for granted. That is until it is not there anymore.
And then we would pay anything to have it back.
Risking It All When You Renovate
So let’s look at the home renovation mistake of risking your health. And what you should be aware of that can harm your health; both in the short term and the longer term.
When you think of health and buildings, asbestos is not far from that correlation. The heading for the article ‘This house killed me ‘says it all. Written by the investigative journalist Mario Christodoulou, and published in The Sydney Morning Herald.
Christodoulou talks about young people renovating their homes. Where money is tight, and you D.I.Y. your home renovation. Sounds familiar?
He goes on to talk about the ‘third wave’ of asbestos-related disease. This ‘third wave’ is coming from D.I.Y. home renovators — people who exposed themselves to asbestos when renovating. People like you and me.
He states that six out of every ten people with mesothelioma had exposure to asbestos when renovating.
You could say to yourself that would only happen to someone else. Not me. Well, that like putting your head in the sand and leaving it there.
Dr Moon from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare said that,
Remove Asbestos with Reputable Asbestos Removalist
So don’t become a statistic.
You are renovating your home so that you can enjoy it for years to come.
If you find you have asbestos when, have it removed by a reputable asbestos removalist. And when you are having the asbestos removed, don’t stay in your house. During asbestos removal, this is when exposure to asbestos fibres is high.
My brother asked me about a house clad in an asbestos sheet that he was thinking of buying. He asked me what I thought. And after a brief silence from my end, he said: “I know what you are going to say”.
So I told him that in the U.K. they removed asbestos from school buildings. After they removed the asbestos, the levels of asbestos fibres in the air were measured to be much higher.
And external asbestos cladding will weather. This weathering of the asbestos sheet will make the exterior cladding friable. Which will result in fibres of asbestos breaking from the asbestos cladding and over time expose you to asbestos.
Why Is Asbestos so Lethal
Nobody knows how much asbestos exposure will cause asbestos-related diseases. Who would want to find this out?
When I studied for my Masters in Science: Architecture in the UK, we met with an asbestos expert. The expert brought in some asbestos building material. It was triple bagged in sealed plastic. And the person who knew best what this material could do held this bag at arm’s length from his person.
Asbestos fibres are fine tiny and sharp fibres. That will find their way into your airways. You can end up with asbestos fibres in the air sacs of your lungs, and the membranes around your lungs.
So why start with a house that you know has asbestos? If you want a safe home for your family?
So the choice is yours to make. But you know that the risk of exposure to asbestos is a considerable risk. Not only to yourself but your family and occupants of your home.
That mesothelioma won’t come knocking on your door tomorrow. But it may in 40 years when you are ready to enjoy your time with your grandchildren. And the life you have worked hard.
Why Should You Care About Asbestos?
You have to assume that your home will have asbestos if built before 1970.
And your home is likely to have asbestos if built before the mid-1980s
Why assume this? The lung foundation states
Asbestos could be in the wall linings; it could be in the roof, it could be in your eaves linings. It could be in your flooring.
You will want to take precautions if you are removing anything that looks like it might have asbestos.
What Should You Do If You Find Asbestos When Renovating?
Removing asbestos products is not a D.I.Y. job. First, you have to assess whether it is better to leave the asbestos where it is or should you remove it. If the asbestos is not exposed to the weather, there is no damage to the sheet or material, and there are no loose fibres it may be best to leave it in place.
But it is a poor false economy if you do remove asbestos yourself. You will want to invest in a professional asbestos removalist to remove the products. Why? For yourself, that’s why.
Removal of asbestos material more than 10 square metres must be done by a licensed person. You can find an accredited asbestos removalist through the Asbestos Removal Contractors Association.
Where Do I Look for Asbestos when Renovating?
If you want to find out where in your home there may have asbestos, you can download the Health house Checklist. This checklist identifies areas of a house that may contain asbestos materials.
If you want to find out more about asbestos, you can download the Asbestos Guide. A Guide for householders from the Australian Government Department of Health.
So yes, finding asbestos when renovating can be alarming. Have you found asbestos in your home? What did you do? Let me know your experience with your home in the comments below. You are not alone if you do have asbestos in your home. Two out of three homes in Australia built between 1939 and 1985 have asbestos. Does this not surprise you!
So whether your home is in the suburbs or a beach shack like the one below, identify the asbestos sheet and work out how you can safely remove it.
Stay Healthy When Renovating
So you’ve heard the message in this article. Stay healthy and take precautions when handling asbestos when renovating. Well, what do you think? Is any of this news to you? Leave a comment in the box below. Has this shone a new light on asbestos? Or have you heard all of this before? Will it change how you look at your home and plan your home renovation? I would love to know what you think.
So thank you for taking the time to read my blog. And for taking time for yourself to plan your home renovation so that you don’t exposure yourself or your family to asbestos. If you are interested to know more about healthy renovations you can read the next blog post on Renovating and Health and Safety. This is the second article of three on staying healthy when renovating.
Happy Renovating!
Bridget Puszka
Smartrenovators.com.au
Bridget Puszka designs beautiful, healthy, sustainable luxury homes. You can find out more about her architect designed Award-winning houses.
And learn what her clients have said about their homes in their testimonials.
