Here Trusted shares a tip on Abestos Abatement:

Why is a Shower Essential to Asbestos Abatement? 

Earlier this week,a news article reported that a woman died from mesothelioma after years of washing her husband and son’s overall’s which were contaminated with asbestos dust. When they came home from work, they brought the asbestos fibres with them and when she washed the clothes, she breathed in the fibres and eventually died from mesothelioma.

This is a sad story, but this is a reality that many workers and their families are dealing with throughout the world where asbestos is used on a daily basis. In fact, the WHO estimates that more than 100,000 workers will die of asbestos related diseases each year. The tragic part of this reality is the fact that these workers will most likely contaminate their homes with the asbestos dust, which in turn, will negatively impact the health of their families. Asbestos is scary because of the simple fact that it causes death and should be completely banned throughout the world!

The key to ensuring long term health if asbestos is found in a home or building is to ensure that professionals are hired to remove the asbestos. The term used is “asbestos abatement“, which simply means the process of removing or containing the asbestos so that the asbestos fibres can not become airborne.

The process of removing asbestos is exactly the same as mold removal with the exception that a shower must be set up to prevent workers from taking asbestos fibres home with them.

The first step is to take samples, which should be done by a professional who sends the samples to a lab for testing. Once it is confirmed that asbestos is present, then the abatement process can begin.

The top priority of an asbestos abatement professional is to prevent asbestos fibres from traveling freely in the air. For this reason, the next step after asbestos is confirmed is to set up a proper containment so that the fibres that do become airborne are not allowed to travel outside of the contained area. Once the containment is set up with negative air pressure, the process of removing the asbestos can begin. All contaminated materials must be disposed according to industry and geological standards and regulations.

Once all asbestos materials are removed, the air quality should be tested by a Third Party environmental consultant before any reconstruction begins.

To learn more about asbestos, check out these links.

What Percentage of Lung Cancers are Caused by Asbestos?

Saskatchewan, First Canadian Province, to Create Asbestos Registry

Canadian Asbestos Regulations

How Many People Die From Asbestos Each Year?

10 Interesting Facts About Asbestos in the USA [Infographic]

Renovating? Read This Message From Our President!

10 Interesting Historical Facts About Asbestos [Infographic]

ADAO – Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization

BanAsbestos.us

The Asbestos Epidemic in America

WHO | Asbestos: elimination of asbestos-related diseases

The Jig Is Up For The Asbestos Industry!

Canada’s Asbestos Industry Could End!

Elliot Lake, Ontario Residents Exposed to Asbestos Dust

Should I Be Concerned About Asbestos?

The Politics of Asbestos: Canada’s Ugly Secret

Quebec Pumps $58 Million into Certain Death

Why is Asbestos so Scary?

Got Asbestos?

Asbestos Removal and Abatement

Asbestos Is The “Ideal Carcinogen”

 Trusted tip on the SASKATOON DIRECTORY :

Why Is My Newly Built Home Getting Mold?

Just because a home is new, does not mean it is mold free!

You have mold in your home because there is excess moisture, required by mold to grow. The question, of course, is why does my brand new home have excessive moisture?

When was your home built?

Was it built during a rainy season?

Did the builder dry the house properly?

Did the home builder control the humidity before putting in the insulation and installing the vapor barrier?

In order to prevent mold growth it is crucial to ensure humidity levels are only 30 to 40% before the insulation and vapor barriers go up. If this is not done, then the moisture and humidity are trapped inside the home, creating a situaion ripe for future mold growth.

A key component of mold growth is food. Mold will not grow without proper food to feed on. In the past, homes were built primarily with plywood and timber which are not as porous, making it harder for mold to get into the surface. Today, new builders use more oriented strand board (OSB) and particle board. OSB and particle board are more porous and act like a sponge to moisture and allow mold spores to penetrate easily. When condensation forms on OSB it turns to mold very quickly.

Why is Asbestos so Scary?

"It's shocking to me that hundreds of thousands of people are dying of asbestos-related disease across this country but most people don't know a thing about it," says Chris Weis, an asbestos coordinator for the Environmental Protection Agency. Medical evidence dating back to 1899 has shown that asbestos is a slow but steady killer, even though world governments, including our own, and the popular media have long bought into the idea that a little asbestos won't hurt you. In fact, a single microscopic spear-shaped asbestos fiber lodged in a victim's lung can cause myriad fatal reactions. Physicians estimate that exposure to asbestos will eventually kill millions of Americans. They will die of asbestosis, mesothelioma, tremolite poisoning, or cancer of the esophagus, colon, or stomach.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring substance that has been used extensively because of its heat strength, tensile strength, and insulating properties. The troubling aspect of asbestos is that it is lethal and has been described as a silent killer that can lead to asbestosis, mesothelioma, tremolite poisoning, or cancer of the esophagus, colon, or stomach.

According to Asbestos.com:

Homes and apartments built before 1980 often are filled with asbestos, needing only normal wear and tear with age to dislodge the fibers and send them airborne. Asbestos can be found in floor tiles, roofs, furnaces, plumbing, appliances, fireplaces and window caulking, leaving most everyone vulnerable.

Click here to review a detailed diagram of where asbestos can be found in your home.

The prevalence of asbestos in homes and buildings and the illnesses it is causing has led to many law suits and litigation's. According to a special report by Reuters, asbestos related law suits are on the rise. Lawyers are taking advantage of this fact and focusing on recruiting clients for class action lawsuits. In fact:

"At one point earlier this year, 15 of the 100 most expensive keyword search phrases for click-through ads on Google contained the word "mesothelioma," the deadly cancer caused by asbestos exposure. The single most expensive phrase, online marketing firm SpyFu reported, was "Florida mesothelioma lawyers," at $177.74 per click."

Asbestos is in the News and will continue to be. So, what should you do if you suspect that you may have asbestos in your home or office? According to Michael Bowker, author of the book Fatal Deception, you should call a professional and avoid trying to take your own samples. In his words:

"Unless you are trained and have proper protective gear, you might expose yourself and perhaps your family by attempting to take your own samples"

Asbestos is scary for one simple reason: it causes death. The only way to deal with asbestos is to remove it or contain it and that will be the subject of our next blog entry where we explain the Asbestos Abatement process. In the mean time, stay vigilant my friends and educate yourselves about asbestos.

MOLD vs McDONALDS HAPPY MEAL

Mould Will Eat Almost Anything But a Happy Meal!

Mould will eat almost anything including wood, fabrics, plastics, concrete, and even metals.

However, mould will not eat a McDonald’s Happy Meal. (Pictured above is a happy meal at time of purchase)

What is more puzzling is the bun. Normal bread will mould after three days, but not a McDonald’s bun. “The Happy Meal hamburger bun’s ingredient list is sadly too long to reproduce, but includes the preservative calcium propionate (which is what keeps that year-old bun looking daisy fresh), along with ominous sounding ingredients such as calcium peroxide and azodicarbonamide. Yum! The next time you think about buying a Happy Meal for your kids, consider the fact that it might just contain some of the same ingredients as the toy it comes with.”