Health Effects of Asbestos

When we heard of the word, "Asbestos", we might have a thought that it was commonly used in:

• Cement sheeting
• Roofing, guttering, flue pipes etc.
• Brakes, clutches and gaskets

But, do you know "Asbestos Is Very Dangerous to Your Health?" Yes… Recent studies revealed that,

• Asbestos killed more than 5000 workers each year, this is nearly very high than the number of people killed on the road.
• Nearly 20 tradesmen die each week as a result of past exposure

Shocked, right? Do you know why asbestos is considered this much dangerous? This is because when the materials contain asbestos is distributed or damaged, fibres are freed into the air. And when these fibres are breathed in by people, they can cause severe diseases and other illnesses. As you think, the diseases will not affect you immediately, it’s really like a slow poison and it will deteriorate your entire body and then start to reflect the symptoms of the disease. But once the disease is identified, it is often too late to do anything. So it’s really very important for you to protect yourself.

Different Forms of Asbestos and Different Levels of Risk

The health risks can vary depends of the form of asbestos. If asbestos fibres are in a stable form such as bonded with cement sheeting and if they are in good condition, they will pose very little risk. If the asbestos sheet is damaged or have mishandled fibres, they can become loose and maybe prone to airborne diseases. Removing the damaged asbestos sheet without proper care and professional help can create hazard. So make sure to get help from the team of health safety consultants or asbestos testing Sydney today.

Precautions to Be Followed

If the asbestos sheet is damaged, just follow the below given precautionary measures:-

• Prevent the dust from asbestos from becoming airborne, just by spraying with water. Be careful around electrical wirings.
• Avoid exposure to the weather, by wrapping the damaged asbestos fibre with plastic sheeting or a tarpaulin if possible.
• Keep your children away and make sure to cover children’s toys.
• Rather than dry sweeping or vacuuming, use wet clean up procedure. By hiring a professional health safety consultant or

asbestos inspection Sydney, you can be rest assured that you’re in safe hands.

If you suspect that your home too contaminated by the dust of asbestos fibres, make sure to enter into your home with the suitable Australian Standards (AS) approved dust mask or respirator recommended.

If you think your work environment is insecure or your employer isn’t sufficiently protecting you from the effects of asbestos, get help from the team of Asbestos air monitoring Sydney today!

The author has been working as a team of Asbestos air monitoring in Sydney! In this article, he shares his views on the health risks of asbestos. For more details, visit https://www.healthsafetyconsultants.com.au

“Health Safety Consultants” is a specialist multi-disciplinary consultancy established in 2008 providing Risk Management advice and services in the areas of Workplace Health & Safety (WHS), Occupational Hygiene and Environmental Monitoring