Asbestos is a natural mineral found on earth. Before 1989, this substance was a helpful resource in building houses, construction work, and the military.
Given its flexible nature and resistance to heat and chemicals, it was a popular choice among industrialists. However, with time as asbestos-related diseases came to light since this microfiber can quickly become airborne and accumulate in your lungs.
As a result of which, illnesses like mesothelioma started taking shape. So while asbestos is no longer used, automotive parts, construction tools, and houses still contain this mineral.
Getting sick with an aggressive cancer is not easy to deal with. But, with a few preventive measures, you can minimize the risk of getting sick, whether you’re struggling at home or work. Here are some steps you can adopt:
What Are The Symptoms of Asbestos-Related Diseases?
Symptoms of asbestos can take years to appear. But you can pick it up if you’re feeling agitated in your lungs, often coughing, wheezing, or have severe tightness in your chest and blood in your spit.
You may also experience a loss in your appetite. These are all unusual and warrant a visit with your doctor.
Don’t hesitate to get a biopsy, a blood test, and a tissue culture to confirm your results. If your health points towards mesothelioma, an aggressive and high-risk cancer, look into mesotheliomahope.com and find the right doctor to help you.
While the most common region for this cancer to form is in the lungs, you can also contract it in your stomach, heart, or testicles. Therefore, depending on their specialization, different healthcare professionals are in place to look after you.
You should start treatment right away and avoid putting it off. Cancer needs medical intervention and will not go away on its own.
- At Home
Asbestos can be in your insulation, tiles, and pipes. If you have an older car, there may be fibers present in those structures too.
When asbestos is lodged in the walls, it is relatively safer to be around. But when you start renovation projects or loosen the fibers from their position, they can float in the air and go into the water, harming you. Here’s how you can prevent this from happening:
- Get Your House Inspected.
Asbestos handling professionals can scan your home for asbestos fibers.
These experts will retrieve samples from around your house and take them for testing. If you have too many loose threads, let these professionals handle it, and don’t attempt any repair project on your own.
You must remove yourself from your house and relocate to a safer distance to limit exposure. If you don’t have the budget to have someone do it for you, purchase high-quality PPEs that cover you from head to toe, leaving no skin exposed.
- Control Asbestos Levels At Home.
Even if your house has no asbestos, you can still get exposed if the surrounding areas contain these fibers. So, you should use wet cleaning methods, mops, and high-pressure vacuums over brooms.
Get into the habit of removing your shoes before entering your house since soil can also contain asbestos. Doormats are a great way to remove eroded soil from your soles.
When there is high wind, don’t leave your windows open.
- Prevent Breathing or Consuming In Asbestos.
You should put a high-quality filter over your HVAC unit and maintain it regularly.
Older pipes need to get renovated and use a filtration system on your tap water. If you’re into gardening, always wet the soil before you start preparing it for planting.
You should also use water to wash your pavement and patio over sweeping. When it comes to your meals, use filtered or boiled water brought down to room temperature for washing or cooking.
- Avoiding At Work
You may need to practice more precautions to prevent asbestos exposure at work. The machines you work with and the chemicals you move from one place to another may have asbestos. So if you’re an industrial worker, here are some ways to prevent asbestos exposure.
- Learn Safe Methods of Asbestos Exposure.
Unlike regular garbage or construction waste, you cannot dispose of asbestos in common waste sites.
You will need to ask if you are coming to specific dumping grounds made for biohazards and asbestos and ensure all these wastes go there. These have to be bagged and buried immediately not to allow the airborne fibers to escape.
- Wear Protection.
Before you start handling any machine, you will need to cover yourself up. Your management must mark asbestos-rich sites, so you know how to dress accordingly.
It would help if you had coveralls, gloves, goggles, rubber boots, and a mask. When you are done with your work, you need to dispose of your gear and take a shower immediately.
Never wear your casual clothing when you work. You must change into a proper construction outfit or keep spare clothes to avoid taking the contaminated product home.
Don’t forget to wear a specialized respirator instead of a regular facial mask. These have tiny pores, which don’t allow most dust particles and microbes through.
- Replace Worn Out Machinery.
Older machines that have rusted and released more toxic fumes need to go.
This equipment has reached its safe use limit and needs to be crushed. You must manage the equipment you use, track the time it gets used, provide regular maintenance, and replace it at the appropriate intervals.
Final Thoughts
Asbestos fibers are notorious for making you sick and causing painful, terminal illnesses like mesothelioma. When they were legal, these minerals were used widely, and so you may still get impacted.
If you live in a home constructed 2 or 3 decades ago, you need to exercise caution by hiring a professional to do all your renovation and using water to wash away the settled dust.
However, at work, you must take safety measures a notch higher since your chances of exposure increase drastically.
These include wearing the appropriate protective gear, disposing of the hazards properly, and getting rid of rusted machines. Anytime you feel sick or have unusual symptoms, you need to check in with a doctor and look into treatment.
Leave a Reply