Things To Know About Asbestos Removal

Many people in North Carolina, South Carolina and beyond are at risk for serious illness but are not aware of it. In the workplace, your employer is obligated to provide information, proper training and available equipment to keep you and your coworkers safe, especially concerning asbestos issues. If you rent a home or apartment, you may also be at risk, which is why it is important to know as much as possible about the asbestos removal process and the dangers that exist if exposure to asbestos takes place.

Hiring trained and accredited professionals for asbestos problems

There are professionals who are specially trained to repair or remove materials containing asbestos from a workplace or residence. There are also professionals whose job it is to inspect a specific location to determine whether there is asbestos present. If you or your employer are hiring such professionals, it’s advisable to avoid hiring one company that does both jobs because this is a conflict of interest.

There is no safe amount of asbestos exposure

Any and all asbestos exposure places you at risk for serious, even terminal diseases, such as asbestosis or mesothelioma. It is not only the person directly exposed to asbestos in the workplace or elsewhere who may be at risk. For instance, you could track the microscopic fibers into your home on clothing or in your hair, etc., thus placing family members in the household at risk for exposure, as well.

Symptoms of asbestos-related illness typically take months, even years to arise. You might feel more tired than usual, lose weight unexpectedly or develop a lingering cough or chest discomfort as many as 10 years or more after exposure to asbestos.

Living with an asbestos-related illness diagnosis

Diseases such as mesothelioma, a cancer of the lungs, are incurable. It is unthinkable that your employer would know of an asbestos problem but fail to inform you and fellow employees of the problem, resulting in life-threatening injury to anyone who becomes exposed to asbestos on the job. Sadly, this has happened in many workplaces throughout the country.

If you develop symptoms of illness and receive a terminal illness diagnosis related to asbestos exposure, it is likely that your disease will continue to progress, resulting in serious health decline. It is also likely that you would come to rely on professional caretakers to help you relieve discomfort and provide for your needs on a daily basis. Such care is expensive. There are many class action lawsuits on the books from people seeking compensation for damages in civil court regarding asbestos exposure injuries.