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When and When Not to Panic About Asbestos Exposure

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The publicity that asbestos related illnesses has caused has spread the awareness that asbestos in our environment can pose a significant risk.  Since medical science began to realize the extent of lung damage that those who have had a significant exposure to asbestos fiber can get, the government has moved quickly to ban the use of asbestos in many applications that could lead to dangerous exposure to asbestos.

From 1950 until the 80s, asbestos was considered to be a safe and efficient method of insulation homes and public buildings.  So the extent of asbestos installation is extensive.  The public outcry about the potential of asbestos related illnesses has set off a massive remodeling effort that has cost billions of dollars.  

It is a good idea to get some perspective on whether you are at risk if you spend a lot of time in a building that has asbestos insulation.  First of all, you will not contract asbestos related lung problems just because asbestos is in the insulation in your walls and attic.  Most products that use asbestos as a filler contain the fibers safely in packaging and housings that are very unlikely to rupture.  If you ever inspected insulation, you know that it comes with the insulating material tightly contained in skins that allow workers to roll out the insulation easily and safely.

The only way insulation that contains asbestos can harm you is if that outer housing is somehow ruptured.  Insulation residing in the walls or attic of a building is not at serious risk to such damage.  So unless there is a disturbance in the housing of the product, you cannot be harmed by well contained asbestos in the insulation of your home or office.

It is also helpful to keep in mind that everyone in the population are not in the "at risk" group for asbestos related illnesses.  The primary population of concern are workers whose jobs include working with insulation or some other product that uses asbestos.  If those workers come in contact with the asbestos fibers that are within the housing of that product, then those fibers represent a danger to that worker and to his or her family.  Once the fibers are loose in the air, they are easily breathed in where they can lodge in the lungs and take up residence there for decades which leads to the lung problems.

Also, if that family member comes home from a job where asbestos exposure is likely, the family should be very careful because the fibers may become resident in the worker's clothing.  The process of undressing and then cleaning that clothing may release the asbestos fibers into the home.  If these occupational hazards apply to your family, then your concern about asbestos related illness may be valid.  

It is also proper to review the work history of elderly relatives to see if there was a chance of asbestos exposure in during their career.  The various lung illnesses that are related to asbestos exposure sometimes do not surface for decades.  So if your aging relative worked in a construction field or some industry where asbestos exposure is possible, that is good cause to start now working with your doctors to find out if that exposure might lead to lung problems.  

But if you determine that the odds are low that you or anyone in your family has been exposed to loose asbestos fibers, its best to use common sense and go about making sure the buildings you use the most are or are in the process of becoming asbestos free in an orderly fashion.  By approaching the problem this way, you know when to panic and not to panic and you go about finding out the potential risk to asbestos related lung problems in a mature and calm fashion.
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