Asbestos Roof Tile: Steps To Avoid Health Hazards

by Kirsten Hawkins

Introduction:

Asbestos rooftile is basically an Asbstos contaminated roofing material. It is made up of natural minerals that are fiberous in nature.Fiberous quality of Asbestos was considered useful in various building materials. For example--Pipe insulation,floortile, and fireproofing. Other roofing products such as shingles,tars,pitch and roof tiles were also prepared with the help of asbestos.

Dangers of Asbestos Roof Tile:

Asbestos: Cause Of Deadly Mesothelioma

Kirsten Hawkins

A View of Mesothelioma

Asbestos is the commercial name given to certain types of fibrous materials. They are silicates of varying compositions; the silica combined with such bases as Magnesium, Iron, Calcium, sodium and Aluminum. Asbestos fibers are usually from 20 to 500 m in length and 0.5 to 50m in diameter. Asbestos bodies appear as golden brown or beaded rods with a translucent center. The fibers are insoluble. The exposure of asbestos causes fibers to be inhaled and fine dust deposited in the alveoli inside the lungs consequently causing a type of cancer called Mesothelioma (a deadly tumor) involving Mesothelial tissues or usually cells of lungs or stomach and abdominal organs.
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer of the Pleura (lung cancer) and Peritoneum (abdomen cancer). Mesothelioma has been shown to have a strong association with the crocidolite variety of asbestos. Pleural mesothelioma, the most common manifestation of asbestos exposure, is well-circumscribed plaques of dense collagen, often containing calcium. Peritoneum Mesothelioma may or may not contain asbestos bodies and rarely do they occur in persons who have no history or evidence of asbestos exposure.
Mesothelioma not only occurs in people who are exposed the asbestos, but also to them who had been living in vicinity to asbestos manufacturing process or those staying in asbestos contaminated buildings. In Great Britain, an association was reported between Mesothelioma and people living within 1 kilometer of an asbestos factory.
The risk of Mesothelioma is reported to be high in those cases where occupational exposure to asbestos is combined with cigarette smoking. Mesothelioma usually does not appear until after 5 to 10 years of exposure. Mesothelioma causes mechanical irritation and in the advanced cases, there may be symptoms of clubbing of fingers, and cardiac distress. The survival time of Mesothelioma patients is generally ranges from 12 months to 2 years of diagnosis and very few survive longer than 2 years.
The following measures can be useful in preventing occurrences of Mesothelioma:
* Use of safer types of asbestos (chrysolite and amosite) * Substitution of other insulators such as glass fiber, mineral wool, calcium silicate plastic foams * Rigorous dust control * Periodic examination of workers such as biological monitoring (clinical, X-ray, lung function)
The government should take adequate steps and make appropriate legislation to stop or minimize the case of asbestos exposure Mesothelioma. If you or any one of your families or friends is suffering from Mesothelioma, you have the legal right to file lawsuits for getting compensation for the medical facilities, loss of income and pain. You can consult a qualified attorney for filing a Mesothelioma lawsuit for comensation.
About the Author
Kirsten Hawkins is a asbestos and mesothelioma specialist from Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.asbestosblog.org/ for information on asbestos reform, mesothelioma lawsuit news, and more.

Asbestos roof tile are hazardous for health because asbestos particles released from the tiles could cause respiratory health hazards.These health hazards occur when respirable fibres are released into the air and then inhaled in your body. Materials that contains Asbestos are divided into two categories-- Friable (able to be reduced to a powder by hand pressure) and non-friable . Usage of Non-Friable asbestos containing materials is not that harmful because , they do not release dangerous asbetos fiber into the air. This class of materials does not relase fibers unless you impact them mechanically with the help of tools, drills and saws.

Protection Steps:

Five steps of protection are helpful to prevent asbestos fiber release during removal of asbestos roof tile. At the first step, roofing materials must be mixed with non-friable materials (tar, pitch, asphalt). This mixing hardens the asbestos fibers, prevents their release, and avoids inhalation. The second step includes the safe methods of removal wherein only hand made tools like shovels and hammers are used to strip the roofing material from the building. Third step recommends that asbestos should be made wet before disturbing it. Fourth step of protection covers how the materials are handled during and after removal. Fifth step says that workers removing the roofing materials should be trained and certified in accordance with an EPA recognized training program.

Regulations for Asbestos Roof tile Removal:

According to OSHA regulations all persons working with asbestos containing materials should wear respiratory and other personal protection equipment during the removal process. There are diffrent state and even federal regulations that regulate the removal of asbetsos roof tiles and other asbestops containing materials.
About the Author

Kirsten Hawkins is a asbestos and mesothelioma specialist from Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.asbestosblog.org/ for information on asbestos reform, mesothelioma lawsuit news, and more.

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