The Dangers of Asbestos in Older Homes

The dangers of amianto in older homes are significant, especially during renovation or repair work. Homes built before the 1980s may still contain amianto in siding, vinyl flooring, insulation, and many other materiales. Exposed or damaged amianto in older homes can cause exposición and put residents at risk for amianto illnesses like mesotelioma.

If you or a loved one have mesotelioma, asbestosis, o amianto-relacionado cáncer, usted puede ser elegible para una gran cantidad de compensación. Currently, there is over $30 billion in trusts set up for those who have been diagnosed with an amianto-related illness. Fill out our form to receive our free Financial Compensación Packet. Our packet is loaded with information on experienced mesotelioma abogados En su área, cómo presentar una afirmar for amianto Fondos fiduciarios, cómo recibir el pago en 90 días y más. 

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Where Asbestos Hides: Floor Tiles, Sheetrock, and Texas Wool Insulation

Amianto en casas antiguas

Many industries used amianto widely for decades. El construcción industry used amianto more heavily than almost any other industry. It use amianto for its ability to insulate, protect against fire, and add strength to materiales.

Millions of houses, apartment buildings, and other dwellings built between 1940 and the early 1980s were built with components and materiales made with amianto.

Amianto use by the construcción industry decreased sharply in the late 1970s after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that exposición al amianto posed severe health risks. Since then, products such as roofing panels, cement, and insulation have been made with alternatives to amianto.

Industries were given a “phase out” period, meaning they had a certain amount of years to stop using amianto. Although the EPA placed regulations on amianto use in the late 1970s, many homes were still built with it over the next few years before companies stopped using it.

Many Americans still live in older houses built before the construcción industry stopped using amianto. If you live in a house or apartment built between the 1940s and 1980s, it’s important to know what to do if amianto is present in your home.

Is Asbestos in Your Home Dangerous?

If you live in an older home, you might be living with amianto. Many homes were built with amianto, but some were renovated to remove amianto materiales.

Amianto is harmful because it sheds tiny fibers that can be inhaled or ingested. fibras de amianto cause damage inside the body that can lead to serious illness. Not everyone exposed to amianto will get sick, but it is always a significant risk, and no amount of amianto exposición is safe.

Amianto in older homes that are well-contained poses minimal exposición risks. The danger occurs when amianto materiales deteriorate, are damaged, or are disturbed by repairs or renovations. These activities can release fibers into the air, causing exposición.

Where Is Asbestos Found in Older Homes?

It is important to note that not all older homes contain amianto. If you don’t know if your home has amianto, it’s best to get a professional inspection. This is especially important if you are planning to do any renovations.

It is best to treat your home as if it contains amianto until a state-certified amianto professional can inspect the residence thoroughly.

In the meantime, it’s crucial to understand where amianto could be in an older home:

• Attic insulation (typically vermiculite insulation)
• Corrugated cement roofing
• Vinyl floor tiling
• Window glazing and caulking
• Plasters and siding materials
• Old appliances such as furnaces and air conditioners
• Heating duct insulation
• Ceiling tile
• Hot water and steam pipes
• Flue pipes
• Cement, paper, and millboard sheets
• Textured paint
• Architectural cement pipe columns
• Artificial brick cladding
• Cement tile underlay
• Bathroom linings
• Eave linings
• Old electrical wiring insulation

Sources of Asbestos Exposure in Older Homes

While many older materiales in a home can contain amianto, certain areas and scenarios pose the greatest risks:

• Vinyl Flooring. Vinyl floor tiles and adhesives often contained asbestos to make them stronger, fire resistant, and insulating. Removing and replacing flooring is a home improvement task many people take on themselves, not realizing asbestos could be an issue. Exposure can occur when scraping up the decaying tiles and adhesive. This stirs up asbestos fibers.

• Textured Paint. Many homeowners also tackle the removal of textured paint, like popcorn ceiling treatments. These materials were once made with asbestos. As with flooring, scraping off paint creates dust that could be contaminated with asbestos.

• Attic Renovations. Many homeowners want to replace attic insulation to save on energy costs, but older homes often used vermiculite insulation that contained asbestos. Removing this without professional guidance can be dangerous.

• Asbestos-Wrapped Pipes. Many older pipes were wrapped in asbestos lagging to insulate them and reduce heat loss. Not many homeowners do their own plumbing work, but they can be exposed if these older pipe materials begin to deteriorate over time and release fibers. Plumbers who don’t take precautions can disturb the fibers and contaminate the home.

• Home Mechanics. Asbestos can be present in the garage as well, and home mechanics risk exposure. Older cars may have asbestos brakes or clutches. Hobbyists who remove and replace these parts without proper precautions can be exposed to asbestos.

These are just some of the more common situations in which a homeowner might come into contact with harmful fibras de amianto.

How Can I Identify Asbestos?

This is tricky for typical homeowners, so it’s best to have a professional inspection done.

What Does Asbestos Look Like?

Amianto is a fibrous material that is usually white but might be other colors. It isn’t easy to identify it just by looking at it, especially if it is bound up in another material. Some products might have the word amianto on them, but many don’t.

Is There a Test for Asbestos?

The only way to know for sure if something is amianto is to test it. You can get a home amianto test kit. To use it, you will gather a sample of the material and send it to a lab. Testing can cost $100 or more per sample.

Collecting and testing your own samples is risky. You can create exposición risks if you don’t take the right precautions. It’s always better to work with a professional, licensed amianto professional or company.

What to Do if Your Home Contains Asbestos

If you suspect your home may contain amianto, contact a qualified amianto professional for assistance. In the meantime:

• Don’t work around, repair, or renovate any areas that may contain asbestos.
• If you have children, make sure they don’t play or roughhouse near any areas that may contain asbestos.
• Don’t load any boxes, clean up, or walk around in the attic.
• Don’t sweep up or vacuum around areas that may contain asbestos.
• Don’t saw, sand, or scrape around areas that may contain asbestos, and never drill holes in the walls for any reason.

An inspector can recommend an amianto abatement company to have the materiales safely removed. Or, they might suggest that you keep it in place. If amianto materiales are well-contained and in good condition, they pose little risk of exposición.

The Dangers of Asbestos When Disturbed

If amianto is crushed, drilled, excavated, or otherwise disturbed, even by natural erosion, the fibers become airborne.

When released into the air, the fibrous polvo can enter the body by inhalation or swallowing. The risk is particularly high in enclosed areas with poor ventilation.

Once inside the body, these microscopic fibers can become firmly lodged inside the lining of the chest, heart, or abdomen.

Once ingested, the body can’t expel all of the fibers. Over time, fibras de amianto cause lesions in several tissues in the system. The lesions fester and can eventually mutate into cancers of the pulmón or the mesothelium.

By the time fibras de amianto start damaging the body, many years may have already passed.

The dormancy period of enfermedades relacionadas con el amianto can last for decades. Algunos de los early signs of amianto illness include:

• Dolor en el pecho
• Difficulty swallowing
• Pain when inhaling
• Fluid effusion
• Náuseas
• Reduction in chest expansion
• Dry coughs that may be accompanied by wheezing
• Pérdida de peso inexplicable
• Fiebre

If You Have Been Exposed to Asbestos in an Older Home

If you think you were exposed to amianto in your home or other older buildings, talk to your doctor right away. They can discuss your risks of developing an amianto illness and offer screenings for earlier detection.

If you have an asbestos illness, contact a abogado especializado en mesotelioma to help you determine the source of exposición and to seek compensación. Many of the companies that supplied amianto to the construcción industry can still be held accountable for daños y perjuicios through demandas o asbestos trust fund claims.

More Information

Recuerde, si le han diagnosticado mesotelioma o amianto-relacionado cáncer, you may qualify for significant compensación. Remember to fill out our form for your free Financial Compensación Packet, with information on amianto y mesotelioma abogados in your area. If you need additional assistance, contact us toll-free at 800-793-4540.