Understanding Asbestos

Just the mention of asbestos causes fear and uncertainty in just about everyone these days.  As government standards and regulations continue to become increasingly stringent, public concern rises similarly.  The truth is, asbestos has been around for a long time and, chances are, it will be present in almost every commercial and industrial building built before 1975.  It will also be found in a lot of houses, especially older homes.

It's important to understand that asbestos is a fibre.  It's not a chemical.  It is only dangerous if inhaled and can only be inhaled if it is disturbed and made airborne.  Asbestos will affect everyone differently.  Though the actual physical effects are very different, there are many parallels to smoking.  Both are proven to be dangerous and potentially fatal to humans but there is no straight line correlation between exposure and health deterioration.  In other words, there is no threshold for exposure, making it difficult to quantify the risk.  As such, the Occupational Health and Safety Act has taken a stance that every precaution to eliminate ANY exposure needs to be implemented.

Following are some main topics on asbestos for further information.

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