Asbestos Mud and Texture Coatings
Fact: Did you know that between 1940 and 1990, the US imported an average of 1.75 million tons of asbestos every year?
The asbestos thus imported went into the manufacture of roughly 90 million tons of asbestos products. It was added to reinforce joint compounds, drywall, roof slates, and textured walls, besides being used in all sorts of insulations.
Jacob Livorl, an insurance agent says, “It is next to impossible to simply dispose off all this hazardous waste. According to the EC’s new Hazardous Waste Rules, disposing will itself cost over 50 million Euros!” So, a significant amount of the deadly mineral is lying all around us and there is nothing we can do about it!
Where and Why Were Asbestos Wall Coatings Used?
Asbestos-reinforced wall and roof coating were popular for their strength, heat, and chemical resistance. Asbestos fibers served as binders or adhesives that kept various elements of the product intact. These qualities made it a favored choice for interior walls, particularly in kitchen walls and roofs.It is estimated that more than 85% of houses built before 1990 contain asbestos reinforced mud or textured coating. In case you detect asbestos in your wall and ceiling coatings, the first aspect for consideration is whether these surfaces are damaged in any way. If they are in good condition, the fibers cannot do any harm. If these surfaces are in need of repair, look for work-around solutions. For instance, you may install a wood panel over the surface or use a latex paint over it to seal the fibers. However, total safety comes only when the dangerous product is removed from your precincts, once and for all.
How Should Asbestos Wall Coatings Be Dealt With?
Removal of asbestos-contaminated mud and textured coating is specialized work, usually carried out by personnel specially trained for the job. Large removal jobs, like sanding, usually require sealing the area with plastic so that contaminated air does not circulate.These kinds of stringent precautionary measures are important while dealing with asbestos-reinforced mud coatings, because fine asbestos fibers released during demolition remain suspended in the air for prolonged periods. Once inside the human body, these fibers are virtually indestructible because the human body cannot break them down. So, extended periods of exposure can even lead to cancer.
If your building material contains asbestos, your only legal option is to hire a certified abatement contractor to remove it or do the work yourself. To know more, contact us immediately.
