Courtesy-tmsenvironmentalltd
What is Asbestos? – Asbestos is a thin, silicate mineral crystal and a fibrous material occurring during its natural state. In the earlier days, asbestos was considered to be high in demand for the purpose of infrastructure due to being cheap and having desirable properties. Desirable properties include having average to high strength, ability to absorb sound, good insulator and resistant to damage from heat, chemical and fire.
Archeologists discovered asbestos around 4500 years and this material was used to provide strength to earthenware pots and cooking utensils. After the initial discovery of asbestos, it became even more popular for being able to use for various purposes such as in bricks, pipe insulations, fire-retardant coatings etc.
But why was asbestos banned? – Many people started facing issues related to lung cancer in the early 1900s. The first ever case of lung disease problem came into picture in Great Britain during 1924. This led to the UK government banning the use of asbestos. Few years later, US medical literature learnt about a disease called mesothelioma which is a disease related to the exposure to asbestos. Researchers conducted more studies where they later confirmed that asbestos is indeed a dangerous material.
So, how is asbestos considered to be dangerous? –Amosite and crocidolite are the 2 minerals found in asbestos. It is these 2 minerals that gave asbestos a bad name and reputation to asbestos as it could cause mesothelioma disease on individual when exposed. Another reason for the bad reputation is that asbestos still remains inside the body when it is tried to remove.
If you reside in Newcastle, asbestos removal must be done immediately.
