What Happens If I Am Exposed to Asbestos?
Asbestos, the once wonder material has turned out to be one of the most harmful and hazardous substances on Earth.
Used extensively in the building industry right up until it was banned in the UK in 1999, Asbestos can still be found lurking in thousands of buildings up and down the country.
Asbestos exposure can lead to asbestosis. When an individual has been exposed to asbestos fibres it can cause scarring of the lungs. The damage can not be reversed and often leads to terminal illness. Asbestos fibres are much smaller than a human hair and can get lodged in the lungs. This can lead to physical symptoms appearing relatively quickly and in other cases they can take 20 or 30 years to become apparent.
The common reported symptoms are:
- Breathing Difficulties
- Persistent Coughing
- Wheezing during breathing
- Loss of Appetite
- Weight Loss
- Tight Chest of Pain in the Chest
What Can You Do?
The NHS can treat the symptoms to allow you to continue to live a comfortable life.
Now that we know how dangerous asbestos is we can all take steps to protect ourselves when using any building. It is recommended to have a full asbestos survey carried out at any commercial or domestic premises.
Our asbestos surveyors can provide you with a plain English report on what was found, where it was found and what the recommendations are.
This helps keep you and everyone else safe because the report will detail where any asbestos is and measures to help stop any exposure. An asbestos register can be created as a safety measure.
It could be as simple as a trades-person coming in to your premises to carry out works. When checking the asbestos register first he or she sees that dangerous asbestos is present and the appropriate procedures such as removal can be carried out safely first. Today information like this is like gold dust and will protect everyone.
Our team of professional asbestos surveyors can help you get an asbestos register in place so that asbestos related issues are avoided.
