Acustic Ceiling Asbestos Removal

If you are a homeowner with an acustic asbestos ceiling, you have, no doubt, questioned the effects the asbestos may have if inhaled. Typically, if a material contains more than 1% asbestos it can be considered dangerous. Often, having acustic ceiling asbestos removed though can cause more harm. The process is very expensive, and especially dangerous given small particles of the asbestos are left behind.

If your home was built prior to the 1980s, the chances are the house could contain acustic ceiling asbestos. These days, it is commonly removed for both health and environmental safety reasons - so as to avoid as many cases of mesothelioma, or pleural cancer as possible.

Many homes contain acustic ceiling asbestos in their lounge rooms, bedrooms and garages. Asbestos materials can also be found in pipe insulation, roof tiles, floor tiles, roofing and fireproofing.

Asbestos Exposure

Whether you have been exposed to acustic ceiling asbestos or not, you can rest assured that we have all been exposed to low levels of airborne asbestos. These levels are extremely small (a few fibers per per milliliter of air) and generally are highest in larger cities and industrial areas.

It is known that breathing acustic ceiling asbestos can increase the risk of cancer. There are two types of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos:

- lung cancer
- mesothelioma

Cancer from acustic ceiling asbestos does not develop immediately, but shows up after a number of years. Studies of workers also suggest that breathing asbestos can increase chances cancer spreading to other parts of the body. As with most diseases, early identification and treatment can increase chances of survival.

People working in industries that make or use asbestos products or who are involved in asbestos mining may be exposed to high levels of asbestos. People living near these industries may also be exposed to high levels of asbestos in air.

Asbestos fibers may be released into the air by the disturbance of asbestos-containing material during product use, demolition work, building or home maintenance, repair, and remodeling. In general, exposure may occur only when the asbestos-containing material is disturbed in some way to release particles and fibers into the air.

What is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer usually linked with prior exposure to asbestos, especially acustic ceiling asbestos. With this form of disease, cancerous cells grow in the protective lining covering the internal organs of the body, known as the mesothelium. Most commonly mesothelioma cancer is found in the outer lining of the chest cavity and lungs. The other place it is also commonly found is in the abdominal cavity, or the casing around the heart.

People suffering from mesothelioma have most commonly had high levels of exposure to asbestos, especially when they have worked in jobs that put them in close contact with acustic ceiling asbestos.

One of the characteristics of mesothelioma is that the symptoms only appear many, many years later - up to 50 years after initial exposure to asbestos.

Pleural Mesothelioma

Pleural Mesothelioma is a deadly form of cancer that affects the lining in the thorax. Most cancers noticed here are malignant, though a few benign cases are also noticed. Three thousand new incidences of pleural mesothelioma are reported in the United States every year. Usually the patient dies within eighteen months from diagnosis, and sadly, many cases are noted to be caused from contact with acustic ceiling asbestos.

Unprotected contact with acustic ceiling asbestos is a known cause of this disease. The general opinion held is that most of the cases could have been prevented if the asbestos manufacturers who knew about the effects of the product had warned their workers and taken the required safeguards.