What To Do If You Find Asbestos In Your House

18 October 2018
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While it may seem like people have known that asbestos was dangerous for a long time, it is an unfortunate reality that so many houses and buildings in Australia still have the dangerous fibre in their walls and ceilings. If you are doing some construction or some running repairs on your home and you discover that your house has asbestos and you have disturbed it don't panic, there are things you can do to get it safely removed so that there is no future danger for you or your household. Even if you are unsure about whether your house has asbestos or not you should definitely find out for certain, one way or another. 

Knowing Whether Your House Has Asbestos In It

As a general rule if your house was made before 1990, then there is a fairly good likelihood that it does contain asbestos and if it was made before 1980, then it is almost certain that it does. This is a broad range and covers millions of houses which proves just how big the issue is for Australia. If you have access to your houses building records, you can try and find the building materials to check if there is asbestos in your construction. 

What Was Asbestos Used For And Where Will It Be?

Asbestos was used for a wide range of purposes but mainly for insulating your walls and ceiling as well as for fireproofing your electrical wires. Do not attempt to check if your house has asbestos; it is far more dangerous if disturbed by movement and when you stir up the fibres is when it is most dangerous. 

Not Sure if Your House Had Asbestos in It?

If you are not 100% sure if your house has asbestos you should contact an asbestos removal company to find out for certain. You never know what could cause the fibres to come loose and a small hole or crack is all it can take for it to make its way into the circulation of your house. The longer you wait, the more chances you are giving for it to become a real concern, so it is better to simply get it out of the way.

After you contact the asbestos removalist they will send out someone who is professionally trained and can carry out testing for asbestos and, if worst comes to worse and your house does have asbestos, they will organise for their company to then come and dispose of it. You should never try and dispose of asbestos by yourself, this is very dangerous and can cause lung cancer and a host of other diseases. It is simply not worth the risk, so contact the experts who can do it safely.