Hurricane-Damaged Homes Raise the Risk for Asbestos Exposure

Homes damaged by flooding after recent hurricanes could contain asbestos.

Hurricane Irma caused extensive damage to hundreds of homes across the State of Florida with its high wind gusts and torrential downpours, and older homes requiring renovations due to storm damage may expose homeowners and workers to asbestos. Homes and buildings damaged by flooding and storm surge, such as in Jacksonville, and those damaged by high winds may need extensive repairs. However, these structures may contain asbestos, a hazardous and toxic building material, in flooring, ceilings, walls and other areas. Exposure to asbestos can lead to lung diseases, respiratory conditions and forms of cancer, among other effects. Top asbestos remediation businesses can help customers in all affected areas eliminate asbestos from their homes and workplaces. Before beginning remodeling work or renovations on hurricane-damaged structures, get them tested for asbestos. Companies that perform asbestos abatement jacksonville work can eliminate asbestos from houses, churches, schools, police stations, military bases, stores, restaurants, libraries and other locations across the city, protecting people’s health.

Hurricane Harvey damaged thousands of homes across South Texas and Louisiana. Residents in these regions will also need to proceed carefully as they attempt to restore and renovate their homes and businesses.

Hire licensed asbestos abatement companies to assess properties’ asbestos levels and eradicate asbestos that could endanger people’s health. Renovation work such as tearing down walls or ripping up flooring may dislodge asbestos in these surface, allowing this carcinogenic material to become airborne. People can unknowingly inhale tiny asbestos fibers, potentially leading to severe diseases like mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer. Fortunately, businesses that perform asbestos removal miami work can get rid of asbestos prior to renovations and demolition work, removing this health hazard. Asbestos exposure causes hundreds, if not thousands, of premature deaths each year.

Do not endanger your long-term health by rushing into repairs and renovations on storm-damaged homes. People in impacted cities like Houston, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Jacksonville and Miami should seek out the services of asbestos remediation experts before tearing out walls, ceilings or floors, especially in older buildings, particularly structures built prior to the 1980s.

The CDC Finds That Asbestos Deaths Remain High

Hire licensed asbestos abatement businesses to test for and get rid of asbestos before performing renovations.

Despite decades of efforts meant to protect the public from the dangers of asbestos, a recent report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that malignant mesothelioma continues to claim thousands of lives. This deadly and devastating form of cancer, typically caused by exposure to asbestos, killed more than 45,000 people in the United States between 1999 and 2015. Deaths of people younger than 55 from mesothelioma may result from inadvertent exposure to asbestos during home renovations and building demolitions. Across South Florida, homeowners and contractors can hire top asbestos abatement companies to safely eradicate the substance. Companies that perform asbestos removal west palm beach can help people in places like Lake Worth, Palm Beach Gardens and Jupiter avoid the potential long-term consequences of asbestos exposure, which can lead to diseases decades later.

Before issuing permits for demolitions or renovations of older homes, some municipalities may require people to account for potential asbestos in the building. Asbestos can become a hazard to people’s health and an environmental contaminant if improperly handled. The toxic material becomes particularly troublesome as it breaks down. People can easily and unknowingly inhale microscopic asbestos fibers. Companies that provide asbestos abatement miami services can help residents in Miami, Miami Beach, Doral, Hialeah, Homestead and Aventura properly dispose of the substance, safeguarding people’s health and the environment.

Although the vast majority of deaths linked to asbestos occurred in the elderly population, the fact that relatively younger people continue to fall victim to asbestos-related diseases speaks to the importance of properly handling the substance and its dangers. In many cases, people develop asbestos-linked diseases like mesothelioma and asbestosis several decades after their exposure to the substance. Often, their exposure occurred prior to the time that government agencies began to regulate asbestos. However, people still face risks of asbestos exposure from some products and from disturbing asbestos within older homes and buildings.

Steps Under Way to Ban Asbestos in the U.S. and Canada

Asbestos fibers can cause severe damage to people's lungs in inhaled.

For decades, people have fallen sick and passed away too young because of their exposure to asbestos. Experts say there is no safe level of exposure to this harmful substance, and recent statements and actions may ultimately lead to outright bans of this chemical compound in materials used in construction, auto manufacturing and other industries. However, no matter how welcome these recent developments, the presence of asbestos in homes, schools, office buildings, post offices and other locations in South Florida and across the country remains a daunting and alarming threat to people’s health. Asbestos can cause an array of health problems for people and pets if inhaled or ingested. In cities across South Florida such as Miami, West Palm Beach, Hollywood, Boca Raton, Pompano Beach and Hialeah, many homeowners and businesses have taken proactive approaches to eliminating asbestos from workplaces and homes before it affects people’s health. People across Broward County have turned to companies that offer asbestos removal fort lauderdale services to eliminate this potentially deadly carcinogen.

People can hire businesses that provide asbestos removal miami packages before commencing work like demolition and renovation of structures, particularly older structures. Buildings constructed before the 1980s likely contain asbestos, as the scope of its harmful health effects did not become widely known until around this time. This material becomes hazardous to people’s health when it deteriorates, becomes brittle or its fibers become airborne, such as during remodeling projects. Businesses that provide asbestos abatement miami services can safely remove asbestos from people’s homes, apartment buildings, condominiums and other structures, preventing the contaminant from sickening workers or residents during construction.

Recent actions and pronouncements have moved America and Canada closer to banning asbestos and making its harmful effects relics of the past. Last week, the U.S. Senate passed a bill that would enable the Environmental Protection Agency to ban asbestos. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has signaled that his government will move forward to ban the hazardous substance, which can cause mesothelioma, lung cancer and other respiratory conditions.