Asbestos Removal NZ From Homes and Industrial Buildings

Posted by assesscon on August 29th, 2019

Asbestos was banned in New Zealand but from the early 1900s to 1987 it was in wide use as insulation and building material. It is a certainty that older houses, commercial buildings, and industrial buildings will have asbestos present in its loose, friable form or in the form of cement-bonded sheets. If loose asbestos is well enclosed it is relatively safe as in the case of insulation for heaters. Cement bonded sheets too are relatively safe if well painted with a protective layer. However, there is no knowing when or how asbestos may contaminate the air. Drilling a hole in an asbestos cement wall can release asbestos into the air. Replacing asbestos insulation in heaters can do the same. In both cases, it is better to remove asbestos entirely rather than live with a lurking threat. Calling in asbestos removal NZ agencies can help you to find this threat and eliminate it altogether.

Why remove it – the health risks of asbestos

Asbestos is a mineral fiber that, unlike organic substances, does not decompose in time. It is light, floats in the air when released and can get into the lungs and digestive systems. The effects are not immediately noticeable but it can take 20 years or more. However, once it strikes, there is no remedy.

• Asbestosis: Asbestos enters the lungs and once it does there is no way to expel it. Scar tissue forms around the inhaled asbestos fibers. Scarred lung tissue cannot expand and contract in the normal way. As a result, the affected individual shows symptoms of labored breathing. Chest x-rays show irregular opacities in the middle and lower lung tissues. Lung function is impaired and the patient may have a cough, pain in the chest and bluish skin coloration. One common symptom is finger clubbing.
• Lung cancer: Asbestos can lead to lung cancer that usually takes a long time to develop and it usually proves fatal.
• Mesothelioma: Mesothelioma can develop after 20 years of exposure to asbestos. It is malignant and affects the lining of the lungs, the abdomen and chest cavity. The symptoms include bloating, pain in chest and abdomen, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath and weight loss. Patients may have a fever and may sweat profusely.
• Pleural effusion: There is a thin layer of tissue between the chest and the lungs. Asbestos can cause an excess amount of fluid to be built up. The affected individual has chest pain, fever, coughs, hiccups, rapid breathing and shortness of breath. Pleural effusion may lead to lung damage and empyema, an abscess in the lungs.
• Environment: Asbestos does not degrade naturally over time and once it is released into the environment it can affect life forms and also finds its way inside the human digestive or respiratory tract.

As a house owner would you want to be exposed to this threat now or in the future? Would you want your family and future family to face this risk? As a commercial or industrial building owner, you can ask yourself the same questions about occupants. If asbestos is present in large quantities such as roofing, walls, and flooring you will be loath to spend a large amount on replacing it with asbestos-free materials but it is in your interest, in the interest of your family or workers and in the interest of environment to remove asbestos. Asbestos removal of NZ services are the people to contact. They will inspect your premises and offer the best advice on containment if it is considered safe, or better still, total removal in a safe manner according to prescribed guidelines.

Never, under any circumstances, attempt asbestos removes by yourself. It is neither advisable nor permissible under the law. Your first step to an asbestos-free world is to call in asbestos removal NZ professionals. You can then breathe easy. Literally.

The author owns and operates Assess Control Assure, a specialist, licensed assessor and asbestos removal agency in Wellington, Auckland, New Zealand. He and his teammates are staunch advocates of ridding the world of asbestos.