Over the decades, asbestos roofing grew quite popular around the world. In 2003, however, Australia banned the use of asbestos in construction. This is primarily due to the severe health risks that the material poses, making it extremely dangerous to live in a home with an asbestos roof. However, in case your home underwent construction earlier, chances are that the structure may contain asbestos. In this case, it is imperative to arrange for asbestos removal and replace the roof with a safer material.
What exactly is asbestos?
Asbestos is more than just a roofing material. Rather, the term actually refers to a group of silicate materials that appear naturally. They consist of soft fibers with a fluffy consistency. Due to the high durability of asbestos against corrosion, heat, and electricity, asbestos has found application on construction projects. Especially until the 1980s, asbestos was extremely popular in the roofing and insulation of Australian homes.
What are the health risks posed by asbestos?
Over time, asbestos has earned the reputation of being a ‘silent killer’ in Australian homes. The material, which initially seemed to be perfect for roofing and other construction activities, proved to be quite dangerous. As it turned out, disturbances or damage to asbestos roofs cause the fibers of the materials to loosen off and become airborne.
Now, it is easy to inhale these airborne fibers, which then lodge themselves inside the lungs. While the resilience of asbestos is the reason behind its popularity in construction, the same proves to be fatal. The asbestos fibers do not decompose and the body keeps trying to fight these foreign elements. This results in inflammation, infections, and soreness in the lungs, eventually causing major diseases like:
- Asbestosis
- Lung cancer
- Mesothelioma
- Pleural Thickening
Hence, what seemed like a great construction material can actually prove to be fatal for the residents. Asbestos fibers can also facilitate the carcinogenic effects of smoking by carrying hazardous chemicals into the bloodstream.
How risky is your asbestos roof?
You might be wondering if your asbestos roof is actually a health hazard as you are at risk only once the asbestos fibers come loose. Well, you might want to remember that if your home has an asbestos roof, it must be at least a few decades old. The constant exposure to weather elements causes the material to disintegrate.
In fact, your asbestos roof is likely old enough that parts of it are crumbling into dust, which is directly contaminating your home. It would be logical to remove the roof and get your property decontaminated immediately.
Asbestos roof removal: How to go about it?
Removing an asbestos roof is certainly no easy task. Besides the fact that roof removal is a complex job, it would be extremely risky to come in direct contact with asbestos. An inexperienced and unequipped individual would almost certainly end up inhaling a large number of asbestos particles. This makes it important to hire professional services. Look for one of the reputed asbestos removal companies in your area and hire them for the job.
A company dedicated to asbestos removal services would safely dismantle your asbestos roof and clean up the property. The key perks of hiring one of the leading asbestos companies include:
- Professional expertise
- Modern equipment and protective gear
- Thorough decontamination
- Safe disposal
Ideally, you would want to rope in a fully licensed and certified asbestos removal company to ensure that you are hiring the right people. BE Asbestos happens to be the best company for asbestos removal Sydney and has successfully handled some of the largest projects in the region. It would indeed be smart to hire such a reputed and reliable company for asbestos roof removal.
