Many different kinds of asbestos are now banned, but you can still find them in old houses all over Los Angeles County. This isn’t just a legal problem for building owners, but it contains serious health risks. Old buildings from 1990 have asbestos in the floors, walls, ceilings, and around pipes. Asbestos exposure can get into the air if the infected stuff gets broken, like in a fire, an earthquake, a renovation, or a demolition.
These fibers are so small that you can’t even see or smell them. But over time, breathing them in can be a real issue for your health. The damage they do builds up slowly and can’t be undone. That’s why Green Planet Restoration has a reliable Los Angeles asbestos removal service that can help.
What Health Risks Are Linked to Asbestos?
When asbestos fibers are released into the air and breathed in, they become dangerous. They are hard to remove from your lungs. They leave scars, inflammation, and even cancer behind over time.
What’s the scary part? Most of the time, these health issues don’t show up until 10 to 40 years after contact. So, it’s hard to catch them early.
Those who are more at risk are:
- Workers in construction and demolition
- Maintenance staff like plumbers and HVAC techs
- People who live in older buildings
- Firefighters or cleanup crews after disasters
Repeated asbestos exposure, even a small amount, can be a serious problem for your health. You might be in danger if you live in an old apartment block where someone is remodeling.
Also read: Why Asbestos Testing in Renovation Is Critical for Older Homes
What Should You Do If You Disturb Asbestos?
Stop what you are doing right away if you think you touched or messed with something that might contain asbestos. It might get worse if you try to clean it up yourself.
What you should do to avoid it:
- Don’t try to brush or vacuum the material.
- Don’t move the dust around; don’t spread it.
- Take off dirty clothes, put them in plastic bags, and don’t bring them into clean areas.
Hire a licensed asbestos contractor, such as Green Planet Restoration, to inspect the area and clean it safely.
What Makes Asbestos So Dangerous?
The worst thing about asbestos is that you can’t feel it. Once the fibers are in the air, you can’t see, smell, or taste them. When asbestos-containing objects are burned, cut, sanded, or broken, the fibers get into the air. That’s the most dangerous thing for everyone present in that area.
Once inhaled, the fibers can stay in your lungs for life and cause permanent damage. And because the effects take years to show up, people often don’t know they’ve been exposed until it’s too late.
For building owners, this isn’t just a health concern. It’s a legal responsibility. If you don’t take care of known asbestos hazards, you could face lawsuits, fines, and even denied insurance claims if someone gets sick.
How Does Asbestos Make You Sick?
Asbestos exposure can cause several dangerous diseases that can often be life-threatening. The fact that these illnesses show up slowly, sometimes decades later, makes them very dangerous. Asbestos fibers that are breathed in can get stuck deep in the lungs or nearby tissues, where they do long-lasting damage like swelling, inflammation, and often cancer.
Property owners, especially owners of older buildings, need to know about these health risks to keep people safe and avoid being sued. Here are the 4 most common diseases due to asbestos exposure.
1. Asbestosis
People who are exposed to asbestos fibers for a long time can develop asbestosis, a long-term lung disease. When these fibers are breathed in, they irritate and scar lung tissue, making it harder for the lungs to expand and contract. People who have asbestosis may have trouble breathing, chest pain, and a dry cough that won’t go away.
2. Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a rare but dangerous type of cancer that is caused by asbestos exposure. It hurts the thin lining around the heart, lungs, and intestines. It also isn’t found until the disease has reached an advanced level because it can take 20 to 50 years to form.
Some signs are chest pain, lack of breath, a swollen abdomen, and weight loss. Unfortunately, mesothelioma is very hard to treat once it is found, and survival rates are still low.
3. Lung Cancer
Lung cancer caused by asbestos is similar to lung cancer caused by smoking but carries a significantly increased risk when both factors are present. When asbestos fibers are breathed in, they can change lung cells, which can cause tumors to grow out of control. Symptoms often include coughing all the time, lung pain, coughing up blood, and weight loss.
4. Damage to the Pleura
Pleural disease includes many disorders that affect the lining around the lungs, which is called the pleura. These conditions are not cancer. This includes pleural effusion, which happens when fluid builds up between the lung and the chest wall, and pleural plaques. This makes it hard for the lungs to move around comfortably. Pleural disease is often an early sign of asbestos exposure; it can lead to serious health problems.
Why It’s Important to Test and Document
Because illnesses linked to asbestos take so long to show up, it is very important to test and record them early on. People who own property shouldn’t wait for problems to show up before they do something. It is important to move quickly if you think your building might have asbestos. Green Planet Restoration offers licensed asbestos tests and removal services all over Los Angeles County. We make your property safe, up to code, and free of any hidden health risks.
Closing Remarks
The best way to deal with asbestos is to prevent exposure in the first place. OSHA has strict rules for handling asbestos at job sites. Green Planet Restoration is a licensed and insured Los Angeles asbestos removal service provider. We make sure that all EPA and Cal/OSHA rules are followed to get rid of asbestos safely and thoroughly. Do not wait if you think that you may have asbestos exposure. Request a consultation now, and Green Planet Restoration – Licensed Asbestos Contractor – will take care of everything from beginning to end.
