Asbestos Disposal Bristol
A4 Asbestos specialises in the testing and removal of asbestos in Bristol. For more information about our
Asbestos Disposal Bristol service, visit our website today.
The term asbestos permeates throughout society still to this day, as it health effects linger from its abundant use back in the last century. You may hear of asbestos if you live in an older home or perhaps work in an old building that is being renovated, with signs stuck up on the walls warning you of the potential effects of asbestos. It's a bitter realisation paired with painful hindsight that such a harmful material was so widely used not only in the UK but throughout the world. How was a harmful substance like asbestos even used in our day to day lives? Why was it so quickly adopted and used by domestic and commercial entities?
Large-scale asbestos mining dates back as far as the mid 19th century, with companies in London and Scotland becoming the first companies to adopt this material to use it commercially. Asbestos was first commercially used for Yarn, with its fibres being ideal for making long lengths of yarn. Asbestos slowly become a more abundant material as people found more uses for it, like with any material. Asbestos had many attractive qualities such as great tensile strength, thermal abilities as well as electrical resistance and flame retardance. It was used in everything from roofing, tiling, boilers, water pipes, paints, towels, plastics, wire insulation, cigarette filters, brake pads, water filters and even toys and crayons. Its use was so abundant that it was even used in gas filters. With large mines popping up in Canada to capitalise on this newly found material, the world was using asbestos faster than it could be produced.
It wasn't until 1899 that a Dr Montague Murray starting noting the negative health effects that asbestos had on humans. In the early 1900's, researchers in the UK began seeing a rising number of young deaths and lung complications in towns that were known for asbestos mining. The first study to be released was conducted by Dr Montague Murray in London, carrying out a postmortem on a young man who died from pulmonary fibrosis. The man worked in a textile factory that heavily used asbestos, and it was apparent that asbestos had a large part to play in his death as traces of asbestos were found in his lungs.
Further studies from subsequent deaths further indicated that asbestos was poisoning these unfortunate people, with the most notorious incident being that of Nellie Kershaw, a factory worker spinning raw asbestos into yarn. After the post-mortem, doctors concluded the huge amount of foreign materials in her lungs were from asbestos particles. After comparing the sample with asbestos fibres, the results were conclusive.
In modern times, we don't have to worry about asbestos being used in everyday objects, with the UK banning all forms & types of asbestos. The UK banned two types of asbestos, crocidolite and amosite in 1985, with Chrysotile still being imported for another 14 years until the final ban in 1999. The ban on the import of all types of asbestos does still mean there is still asbestos in the UK however, as the century's worth of use and adoption has left the UK with plenty of asbestos in circulation as it were.
So should I worry about asbestos? - Asbestos Disposal Bristol
The only worrying thing about asbestos is the fact that the airborne fibres produce by disturbing a stable piece asbestos can be inhaled into our lungs. Unlike other particles we inhale, these particles can be broken down
through the lining of our lungs, being taken into our bloodstream and circulated around our bodies. It's this broken down state of asbestos that is incredibly harmful to our bodies, causing mesothelioma and other complications, not forgetting lung cancer.
Now, this may seem daunting, and undoubtedly the health ramifications caused by asbestos can be incredibly harmful. However, most of us have already encountered asbestos, and have most likely lived and breathed amongst it as most homes built in the 50's and 60's will have used it in some way. Whether it be the Artex paint on your ceilings or the asbestos weaved tiles on your roof, there will most likely be asbestos somewhere near you. This doesn't put you in imminent danger, however, as asbestos is only dangerous when the particles that are released from it are airborne. Asbestos particles can only be made airborne if you're dealing with an unprotected source, like damaged insulation in our loft. Drilling into walls is a big concern in many homes as it's something me or you could find ourselves doing, however doing so could disturb otherwise stable sources of asbestos.
Asbestos Disposal Bristol
The disposal of asbestos means that you have found asbestos or may think you have asbestos in your home. This needs to be verified as you don't want to waste time and money stripping your home of what you think is asbestos. This is where a provider like A4 Asbestos comes in as they are able to help you test and remove any asbestos you may be concerned about. The team of trained professionals at A4 can come to your home and sample any suspected asbestos in order to test for any traces of the substance. If verified, then you're able to work with the experts in order to rid your home of what could be a time bomb waiting to happen.
If you're concerned about you or your families health because of the potential threat that asbestos can bring then please visit our page on:
Asbestos Disposal Bristol or call our team today. Rid the potential hazard from your home today and get in touch with A4 Asbestos.
