Nowadays, from cities to many small towns, commercial buildings are a common sight. Whether in the form of shopping malls, or a movie theatre, or multiplexes, commercial buildings are the talk of the town and spending time there has become a common pastime among people. Various security measures to check any inconvenient incidents or accidents are taken by the owners of these commercial buildings. Unfortunately, in most cases, one prime danger is overlooked by both owners and the government. This is the danger of asbestos and its sometimes fatal effects. 

Where Asbestos Can Be Found in Commercial Buildings

The qualities for which asbestos is frequently used in commercial buildings are its resilience, fire resistance, and insulating properties. It is thus found in the roof shingles, textured paint, floor tiles and coverings, AC sheets, and water pipes to name a few. There is no asbestos related danger as long it is in its inert form. The trouble arises when asbestos sheets within the commercial buildings get damaged or remain in an un-repaired state. The asbestos dust, which is released in the air due to these, can be extremely perilous for people exposed to it.

Maintenance workers and repairmen must wear protective gear like disposable gloves and hats, and keep their bodies covered during the repairing, renovation, and remodeling work as they are directly exposed to the asbestos dust. The work must be done under proper inspection, following all the necessary guidelines to decrease the quantity of asbestos dust in the air. The areas where work is progressing should be cordoned off from the building occupants, shop owners, workers, security personnel, and the numerous other people visiting these commercial buildings, so as to safeguard them from the asbestos dust.  Damaged asbestos should not be thrown anywhere within the commercial building, and its removal must be done keeping all the precautions in mind.

Asbestos Causes Mesothelioma

One of the major concerns of being exposed to asbestos dust is a malignant disease like mesothelioma. Though study shows that it generally occurs to people who are exposed to asbestos dust for prolonged hours, certain cases have come to the forefront where short term exposure to asbestos dust has resulted in this fatal disease. So, people who visit commercial buildings regularly for their jobs, as well as occasional visitors, are all possible mesothelioma victims if the presence of asbestos dust is not regulated there. It may take a mesothelioma patient a minimum of 30 to 40 years to realize that he has contracted the disease. Coughing, chest pains, weight loss, abnormal blood clotting are some of the signs of mesothelioma and sadly, in spite of regular cancer treatments, the survival rate for this disease is slim.

Local councils, visitors to the commercial buildings, and people working in these buildings, should all come together to see that the owners of commercial buildings maintain all the necessary precautions to avoid the perils of asbestos dust, which can lead to something fatal like mesothelioma.