Dangers Of Removing Asbestos Siding

The general impression of asbestos has changed over time so that many people now wrongly assuming that it is a highly dangerous toxic substance that must be immediately removed.

Dangers of removing asbestos siding. If necessary carefully lift siding pieces with pry tool to expose nail heads. Asbestos siding is composed of asbestos fibers mixed with portland cement. Breakage releases asbestos fibers. The approach of removing the old shingles and replacing them with new siding is an option that many homeowners have pursued though probably not as safely as they should.

Asbestos siding poses absolutely no health risk of the siding is intact and in place. One common misconception is that asbestos must be removed and that removing it is very expensive and dangerous. Asbestos cement can be dangerous if pulverized by sawing sanding breaking etc. If asbestos remains intact in siding insulation popcorn ceilings or other materials it poses no risk and is not dangerous.

Scraping or brushing off old paint from asbestos siding is necessary before repainting but dangerous because it can release small asbestos fibres. The unique dangers of asbestos were ignored by the industry but were painfully obvious to those who worked in the mines or produced asbestos products. Exposure to and breathing asbestos fibers can result in lung problems and cancer. Cutting asbestos siding is the only danger which is minimized with use of specialized tools that shear rather than cut the shingles.

Unnecessarily exposing your health to the dangers of improperly removing it is simply not worth the risk. Also i recommend against installing new siding over top of the existing asbestos material as the process will damage the latter and cause asbestos fibers to be released. Removing asbestos siding is a tricky issue as it often poses no real health threat if left intact. Asbestos is only dangerous when cut sawn or broken into small enough pieces so that asbestos fibers are sent into the air.

Siding that is being removed can become friable meaning it can be damaged by hand pressure at which point you could be exposing yourself to those damaging fibers. It is very brittle and has a tendency to crack and break when nailed which can release asbestos fibers into both the air and ground. The use of a pressure washer for maintenance can crack the siding and lead to moisture intrusion if the pressure. Asbestos workers were exposed to large amounts of airborne asbestos and brought the dust into their homes for their families to inhale or ingest in their food.

Asbestos cement siding is very brittle and can be easily chipped cracked or broken.