If you are like most Australians, you have watched at least one of the many DIY home renovation programs that are all over your TV. In Perth, DIY home renovations are extremely popular. Recently, though, the Australian Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency took the television industry to task over failure to warn their viewers about the dangers of asbestos.
According to latest research figures, Australians doing DIY home improvements know less about asbestos now than they did two years ago. Here are the main dangers of asbestos and why it should be handled by professionals.
Where is Asbestos?
If your home was built before 1990, it probably has a lot of asbestos elements, especially in the cladding and around wet areas such as laundries, bathrooms and kitchens. Ironically, these are the very areas that are usually renovated first by DIY renovators. Asbestos can be found in vinyl tiles, insulation over water pipes and fibro-asbestos sheeting, to name a few materials.
Why is Asbestos Dangerous?
Asbestos causes cancer and is especially hard on the lungs. Mesothelioma is the disease most often caused, but asbestos can cause a number of chronic and debilitating lung conditions. Unfortunately, removing asbestos-containing materials by conventional means contaminates not only your home, but can contaminate your neighbourhood.
How Can Asbestos be Safely Removed
If you are trying to remove asbestos-containing materials yourself, you must evacuate your home, wear a mask, remove the materials intact, being careful not to break any component, which would release asbestos into the air. If you get that far, they need to go in a special container and be disposed of professionally.
Why it is Safer to Call a Professional for Home Renovations
At Next Level Extensions, we are professionals with more than 70 years’ combined experience at providing home renovations in the Perth area. Our tradies are specially trained at identifying and safely removing asbestos-containing materials.
Don’t leave asbestos contamination and its health risks to chance; call Next Level Extensions for your home renovation needs: 1300 948 094.