What is asbestos and when is it dangerous?

What is asbestos and why is it so dangerous? The use of asbestos was banned in 1993, but unfortunately it has been widely used in construction. Therefore, you can find asbestos in older commercial buildings, apartment complexes and houses. In this blog, we are going to answer the question, "What is asbestos and why is it dangerous? After reading this article, you will know the answer!

What is asbestos?

Many people think asbestos is one type of material. Actually, asbestos is a collective name for six different minerals. These six all have the familiar fiber structure that asbestos is known for. These substances are strong, cheap, hard-wearing and fire-resistant. Because of these good properties, many construction companies have used asbestos in the past. Asbestos was very popular until 1980, but then researchers found out that the minerals are bad for human and animal health.

Therefore, the use and application of asbestos was banned in 1993. However, asbestos is still found today. Often in conversions, renovations and demolitions.

It is wise to have the asbestos removed by a specialized asbestos removal company. They know exactly what needs to be done to remove the asbestos safely.

What properties does asbestos have?

We have already written a few properties under the heading "What is asbestos? But asbestos has even more properties. The following properties asbestos also has:

• Asbestos can withstand high temperatures
• Asbestos does not wear out quickly
• Asbestos is strong material
• Asbestos is resistant to various acids
• Asbestos is resistant to multiple microorganisms
• Asbestos is insulating
• Asbestos - despite being dangerous - is sustainable
• Asbestos can withstand temperature fluctuations well
• Asbestos can be handled well with other materials

Despite having good properties, asbestos is a dangerous substance. Many people have contracted the disease mesothelioma (asbestos cancer) because of asbestos. This is a cancer in/on the pleura or peritoneum. Lung cancer is also a common disease caused by asbestos.

The six different types of asbestos

Each type of asbestos has a difficult term and is often referred to by its color. Even though there are six different types of asbestos minerals, only three types of asbestos are used to build commercial buildings, homes and apartment complexes.

White, brown and blue asbestos are the most common. Of which we encounter white asbestos the most in the Netherlands. In the overview below, we have listed the six different types of asbestos.

Bonded and loosely bound asbestos

You now know the six different types of asbestos. You can distinguish these different types of asbestos into loose and bonded asbestos.

What is bonded asbestos?

With adherent asbestos, the fibers are bound with a material. The most common materials are glue, sealant and cement. This type of asbestos is the most common type of asbestos. A familiar example of bonded asbestos is corrugated metal on an old barn, for example. If the asbestos-containing materials are not worked on, they are not dangerous. But when you start cutting or drilling into them, they do release asbestos, and that, of course, is dangerous.

What is Loosebound Asbestos

Loose-bound asbestos, also called non-attached asbestos, is the most dangerous type of asbestos. The asbestos fibers are barely, if at all, bonded to a material. Because these fibers cannot be properly bound, the fibers are more easily released, and therefore it is much more dangerous to humans and animals. Two well-known examples of loosely bound asbestos are insulation material and spray asbestos.

How can you recognize asbestos?

Recognizing asbestos is difficult because you cannot see the fibers directly and you cannot smell it. Homes and commercial buildings built before 1994 may still contain asbestos. Especially homes built up to and including the 1980s. All homes built after 1993 no longer contain asbestos fibers because it was banned in 1993.

Do you think your commercial building, home or other property contains asbestos? If so, it is wise to have it removed by a licensed asbestos removal company.

Why is asbestos dangerous?

The danger of asbestos is mainly the inhalation of the fibers. The asbestos fibers are harmful to your lungs if you inhale the substance for long periods of time. If you are exposed to asbestos for a long time, there is a good chance that you will develop a disease such as mesothelioma.

Do you notice you are breathing in asbestos?

No, you cannot notice that you are breathing asbestos. For example, it won't make you cough. That's why it's wise to have asbestos removed by a licensed company if you expect your home, commercial building or other property to contain asbestos.

Conclusion: What is asbestos and why is it dangerous?

In this blog, we answered the question, "What is asbestos and why is it dangerous? If you expect your commercial building, apartment complex, factory or home to contain asbestos, it is wise to have it removed so that you cannot get diseases from asbestos.

Would you like to have asbestos removed? If so, please contact us. Want to know more about asbestos remediation? Then read our asbestos removal and soil remediation pages. Here we explain our method and which properties we can remediate.