If you’re wondering how long you can be exposed to asbestos in your Belleville, IL home before it becomes dangerous, you should know that there is no such thing as a “safe” level of asbestos exposure. When asbestos fibers are breathed or swallowed, they can cause cancer and chronic respiratory illnesses. These diseases typically take a long time to manifest following exposure, with symptoms emerging ranging from 10 to 80 years later.
Asbestos Exposure Can Happen Anywhere
Most people have been exposed to asbestos fibers at low levels at some point in their lives, mostly via asbestos pollution in the outside air and interior background air that we breathe. Furthermore, those who are exposed to significantly higher levels of asbestos fibers as a result of their work, construction projects, hobbies, or coming into contact with someone who has been occupationally exposed to asbestos are at a higher risk of getting an asbestos-related disease. Each exposure to asbestos, no matter how small, adds to your lifetime dose of asbestos, increasing your risk of getting asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other malignancies.
Asbestos Exposure at Work Leads to Higher Risk
According to studies of workers exposed to asbestos in the workplace, not everyone is harmed similarly by the same doses of asbestos. Genetics, smoking history, and the timing of earliest exposures are likely to affect an individual’s vulnerability to developing an asbestos-related disease. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, for example, has created laws requiring businesses to keep overall occupational asbestos levels within a workplace below an eight-hour time-weighted average for each day. OSHA’s current permissible exposure limit (PEL) is.01 f/cc. These laws, on the other hand, do not define safe amounts of asbestos exposure. They are solely intended to reduce worker risk, and they clearly state that they intend to discover extra cancer even at lower levels, as well as a minimum safe threshold level.
What Should You Do If Exposed?
Asbestos exposure increases your chances of getting an asbestos-related disease, but it does not ensure that you will. All asbestos exposures, however, should be considered potentially hazardous. If you have been exposed to asbestos, you should contact your doctor if you develop symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing, or chest pain. Individuals who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases should seek legal advice as soon as possible to register a claim.
If you have any additional questions or want to learn more about roofing options without Asbestos, give our team at Clymer Construction a call today!
