Because of asbestos you need to change your insulation. So let’s get healthy. Old insulation contains asbestos. So we know that insulating attics saves money and energy in the long run. Yet insulation can contain asbestos. It’s a great way to keep your house cool during the upcoming summer months. In addition it and serves to warm your home up during brutal DC winters.
But even if you have older insulation. You need to check it because leaks and wear and tear still let air in and out.
This costs you and the environment. Therefore you want to change out old insulation as well.
Insulation before 1975 in homes contain a material called asbestos. So asbestos, a natural mineral mined from deposits in the earth. Also asbestos is inexpensive, easy to handle, and fire-retardant. It also resists rusting and molding. Thereby alone, a completely harmless material. That’s when intact and undisturbed.
However, we now know old insulation can contain asbestos. Asbestos contains dangerous carcinogens.
When asbestos materials damage or disturbed, fine and nearly invisible fibers release into the air. These fibers attach to clothes, hair, and shoes and are transported easily. Thereby exposing neighbors, friends, and family members to fibers.
Then inhaled or ingested. Over a long period of exposure, fibers collect in the lining of the lungs or abdomen. Thereby resulting in severe scarring. This scarred tissue usually becomes cancerous and leads to mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma is a rare but deadly cancer of the lungs. Mesothelioma symptoms are subtle and can lie dormant for 20-50 years. So way after you or your family members exposed to asbestos. Again and because of this dormancy, mesothelioma is often misdiagnosed. As well as diagnosis can be delayed. Late diagnoses mean that the cancer has often already spread to vital organs and treatment is difficult or ineffective.
Mesothelioma life expectancy rates are low. Also patients generally only live for a few months after diagnosis.
In conclusion, protect your family from the dangers of mesothelioma. Have your insulation inspected. Inspected for asbestos contamination. Especially if your house constructed or insulated before 1975. Finally and if your insulation contains asbestos, contact a certified asbestos abatement professional. Don’t remove. Let them do the removal. Again and in the end, new insulation saves you money. It cuts energy waste, and reduces your risk for mesothelioma.
Krista is a graduate from the University of Central Florida. She is an aspiring writer. A writer with a passion for health and environmental issues. She uses her writings to spread awareness of such issues. All to encourage others to live the greenest and healthiest life possible.
