History of Asbestos and the Harm it can cause

Asbestos has a long history, with its use dating back to thousands of years when it was majorly used to strengthen other materials. The high resistance of asbestos to heat facilitated this adoption; asbestos cannot be burned down. Thus, helmets and firefighter clothing outfits in the 1850’s were chiefly composed of asbestos.

As workers discovered that curtains could be made with tiny asbestos fibers, early theaters that used fire for illumination also employed asbestos in a bid to create a firewall between the stage and viewers, thereby forestalling unlikely disasters.

How Was Asbestos Used without Harming Anyone?

While asbestos is now considered a risky material, it wasn’t uncommon to find it dominating homes many decades back. Two factors are fundamental to coming down or resisting illnesses due to asbestos exposure. One of these is whether asbestos is in its safest form where it doesn’t present huge risks, and the other factor is the length of exposure needed before symptoms are elicited. Here’s a worthy read on these two vitally important factors.

Asbestos in Low-Risk Situations

Asbestos is not particularly harmful in its original mineral form and in its combined asbestos form, problems only arise when the fibers have been inhaled. So as the tiny fibers continue to splinter within the body tissues, they inevitably lead to health issues and untold complications like respiratory illnesses and cancer. Those who used asbestos as building materials in the 19^th century may have caused little to no disturbance of those materials, hence keeping them safe from asbestos dust inhalation.

Asbestos Presence Over Time

Another noteworthy factor is the fact that inhaled particulate asbestos may not present any harm immediately after contact, but it is sure an unrivalled danger in individuals constantly exposed to materials containing the harmful substance in the long-term. Since individuals only show symptoms of exposure after extended periods of contact, this could have fueled the misleading thought of safety for individuals who employed it in its early days of adoption.

Today, however, asbestos inspection and testing are invaluable ways of evaluating and determining the presence of asbestos in buildings. It’s therefore crucial for building owners to invest in knowing whether or not they should be worried about asbestos since major renovation work in the future can trigger systemic dispersal of asbestos dusts from building materials.