Asbestos is a highly dangerous mineral that was commonly used in the United States up till the early 1990s. Because asbestos is extremely flame-resilient and durable, it was used in many building materials prior to 1990 and in automobile parts. Some of the building materials in homes and buildings in Arlington, VA that may contain asbestos are—
• Ceiling and flooring tiles
• Insulation
• Roofing shingles
• Drywall products
Because there are still a lot of older homes in Arlington, VA that contain asbestos-related materials, construction workers and other professionals are still at risk of being exposed to the harmful carcinogen including—
• Veterans
• Teachers
• Demolition workers
• Ironworkers
• Auto mechanics
• Firefighters
Asbestos exposure still occurs to people inside their Arlington, VA homes because of older homes where asbestos was used freely in building materials. Secondary exposure can still occur to loved ones of professionals who do repairs, renovations, and maintenance on these older Arlington, VA homes. Asbestos dust frequently is carried home with them on their clothes and person.
Disturbing asbestos-related materials at your home in Arlington, VA releases asbestos fibers, which can be inhaled or ingested. These fibers can lodge into the tissue lining of various organs in the body. The fibers can then become stuck and damage healthy tissues. Sometimes this tissue damage can cause cancerous tumors to form. It can take anywhere from 20 to 50 years of irritation from these asbestos fibers to show symptoms of mesothelioma. At this point, mesothelioma, a rare cancer, could be throughout the body.
Asbestosis, a non-cancerous lung disease, which causes lung scarring and breathing issues, forms when asbestos fibers get trapped into the lungs. This can cause persistent cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue because the lungs get progressively weaker and stiffer. There is no cure and can gradually get worse oftentimes leading to death.
Other related diseases caused by asbestos include—
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Kidney cancer
• Pleural effusions
• Pleural plaques
• Pleuritis
If you are have been exposed to asbestos and are having any related health issues, it is important to be checked out by your doctor as soon as possible.
Anytime you have questions about asbestos, need testing to see if you have asbestos-related materials in your home or need asbestos removal from your home in Arlington, VA, call the team at Envirotex.