As parents, we’re responsible for safeguarding our children’s health, and the efforts must start right from your home. In many cases, you won’t notice anything wrong, but the truth is that older homes, especially those constructed prior to the 1980s can harbor toxic compounds, such as asbestos, associated with aggressive types of cancer.
Knowing where such risks are, how they impact the health of children, and when to consult a lawyer can give families the strength to act. Let’s find out more about how to recognize those dangers, restrict exposure, and ensure your family stays protected.
Where Can You Find Asbestos in Your Home?
Used in construction materials through the 1980s, asbestos is a poisonous mineral with a super-high resistance to heat. It’s still present in millions of homes today, typically without anyone’s awareness, until it’s disturbed.
Once ingested, it can have severe repercussions, including mesothelioma, an uncommon cancer of the lungs. If you’re concerned about potential exposure, speaking with a mesothelioma lawyer can give you a sense of your rights and your compensation. However, you should also do your research and learn more about where this sneaking substance may be lurking in your home.
In most instances, you’re likely to find asbestos in your attic or basement. The worn-out insulation around pipes or in your attic may contain asbestos. The old floor tiles in your kitchen, while appearing charming, may be concealing a health threat.
Likewise, you should also inspect your ceiling a bit more closely. Know that you’re in the danger zone if you have that popcorn-structured ceiling that was so popular years ago. If you have old cement shingles in your house, they may be composed of asbestos. Finally, the joint compoint in drywall and some types of cement board may also contain this deadly material.
The true problem living with your family in these homes is that even minor repair work can unleash big troubles. Take the simple act of sanding away old floor tiles or drilling into a wall to hang a family photo. These seemingly innocuous actions can release asbestos fibers into the air and put your family at risk. Remember, once you release these fibers, they’re incredibly difficult to contain.
How Does Asbestos Exposure Cause Cancer?
Asbestos exposure occurs when it’s disturbed and someone inhales or swallows those microscopic fibers. Initially, there are no real symptoms to tell if you’ve been exposed to this substance. In fact, those small strands can remain trapped in lung tissue for decades, slowly causing inflammation and scarring. When left unattended, this chronic inflammation and irritation can result in serious diseases, such as:
- Mesothelioma
- Lung cancer
- Asbestosis
- Pleural disease
In terms of symptoms, it’s hard to notice anything early, especially considering the fact that the onset of asbestos-related disease is usually very slow, with a latency period of 20 to 50 years. Early symptoms may be nothing more than a nagging cough or shortness of breath. As asbestos diseases advance, patients may find themselves battling a variety of serious symptoms. These may include:
- Shortness of breath
- Chronic cough
- Coughing up blood
- Chest pain
- Loss of appetite
- Unexplained weight loss
Systemic manifestations, such as feer, fatigue, night sweats, and anemia may also develop. However, it’s usually too late to treat the condition once these more serious symptoms develop, which is why early detection is of huge importance.
Why Children Face Greater Health Risks with Asbestos
Children’s bodies behave like sponges, which makes them absorb all substances they encounter including dangerous materials, such as asbestos. Children inhale both more oxygen and possibly higher amounts of asbestos fibers than grown-ups do.Â
In addition, mesothelioma remains a threat because it takes years to appear after exposure to asbestos, so people remain unaware if they or their children have been exposed to cancer-causing asbestos fibers. Experts believe that children who encounter asbestos exposure at age 5 face a higher lifetime mesothelioma risk than adults exposed to the same material.
The small size of children’s airways compared to adults allows tiny asbestos fibers to penetrate more deeply into their lungs. It’s like pushing a person through a straw, which will cause more damage when compared to pushing it through a wider opening.
Steps You Need to Take to Identify and Manage Asbestos
You shouldn’t overlook the possibility of asbestos in homes built before 1980. If you think your older home contains hidden asbestos, you should proceed carefully. First, you should avoid playing a hero when dealing with asbestos because it requires professional handling. Always hire a professional who has necessary equipment and expertise to evaluate your property and identify the amount of asbestos present in your home environment.
In case you’ve confirmed the presence of asbestos in your property, it’s important to not panic but respond immediately. Dispersed asbestos fibers are like a ticking time bomb, and you’ll put your family’s safety at risk by not acting fast. Get in touch with licensed abatement professionals and discuss the issue. They’ll explain how to remove it safely.
These experts help because they clean asbestos by removing asbestos-containing material (ACM) or simply encapsulating it in a controlled environment. They seal the work area, use specialized tools to create negative air pressure, employ HEPA filtration systems for safety, and remove ACM in a safe way.
On the other hand, if you have found asbestos in your property but it’s well-preserved, you’ll be better off leaving it alone and monitoring it cautiously. If it’s left undisturbed, you’re good to go, but don’t underestimate the importance of conducting regular checks to identify signs of deterioration early.
Proactive Steps for Parents
When you know you have asbestos in your house, you need to let your children know how not to end up exposing themselves to it. Ensure you teach them how to avoid contact with damaged materials at home or school. When you have a crew to test or remove asbestos at home, ensure your children aren’t around.
Likewise, you need to make sure your child is safe at school and not exposed to asbestos in any form or manner. Lastly, you need to look out for any strange symptoms. Anything such as a persistent cough, difficulty breathing, or chest pain in your child may be a sign of something more serious.
Conclusion
Ignoring asbestos in older homes is a big mistake and it can come back to haunt you in a big way. The only way to kick it to the curb is by educating yourself about how to identify its presence and what to do about it. If you suspect exposure, always call in a professional for help, as that’s the best way to keep you and your family safe and protected from health problems, as severe as mesothelioma.
