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Home & Garden Articles
The Dangers of the Asbestos Ceiling
Thu 10 Sep 2009 - 21:04
The Dangers of the Asbestos Ceiling
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jenny_Styles]Jenny Styles
Popcorn asbestos ceiling was quite popular from the 1950's to the 1980's. Some of them actually didn't contain asbestos, but many of them did. It seems unusual that this ceiling type was ever popular, but it was easy to apply, it dampened noise well, and it hid any imperfections that were underneath it.
Popcorn ceilings had some drawbacks - it was hard to clean and now it poses health risks. Nearly all materials used in building have paint, insulation, tiling, roofing and cement in them, and the asbestos seems to be ever-present, too.
If the ceiling in your home is "popcorn" and it was painted before the middle of the 1980's, you probably are looking at asbestos as a hazard. If you want to get rid of your popcorn ceiling, and paint the resulting ceiling, you need to understand the risks that are involved.
When you scrape the popcorn to remove the paint, the asbestos from the paint will become airborne. If you breathe in those fibers, they can be cancer-causing, especially if you're not ventilating the area. Even a few days of inhaling asbestos ceiling fibers can cause very serious health issues.
The ill effects that are caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers will usually develop within 15 to 40 years after the first inhalation. The most common asbestos-related diseases are mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. All these health problems are generally from asbestos inhalation over a long time period. But there have also been cases reported that short term exposure caused.
If you don't want to hire an outside contractor to remove your asbestos ceiling, you should have it tested to make sure the levels won't be dangerous if you do the job yourself. If you DO have asbestos results from the test, you can put a coat of paint OVER the tiling to make sure it won't affect you or your family. If you want the asbestos removed, do yourself and your health a favor, and hire professionals to do it. They have the proper equipment to remove the carcinogenic materials and protect themselves while they do it.
Check the building codes in your area if you intend to just spray or roll paint over your asbestos ceiling. In many areas, it is illegal to cover asbestos paint, because this could release some of the fibers into the home.
Hiring an asbestos specialty company to remove your ceiling will be expensive, but most remodelers are realistic, and aware of the dangers of attempting to do this yourself. You can't put a price tag on your family's health. Nor should you try. Have it done right, and move on from there.
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jenny_Styles http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Dangers-of-the-Asbestos-Ceiling&id=2898066
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