Asbestos Found in Heating and Electrical Ducts

Homeowners, school districts, office building or workplace management, and communities with libraries, theaters, and retail spaces are concerned about the presence of asbestos in the building in one form or the other. Heating and Electrical Ducts is one of the places where asbestos was used. Heating ducts are narrow, pipe-like corridors that provide hot, cool, or filtered air to the rooms in these buildings and also dispel air out of rooms and corridors. The efficiency and effectiveness of the device was based on use of asbestos that is an excellent insulation material and facilitates comfortable temperatures. The temperature monitoring systems that were meant to keep workers, families, individuals, and children comfortable actually became health hazards.

Asbestos Exposure from Heating and Electrical Ducts

It was only in the 1980s that the public learned of the serious health hazards associated with asbestos. What was the number one choice till then for heat insulation was recognized for its dangerous effects on human health. Scientists and researchers have unquestionably proved that exposure to asbestos can lead to the development of a rare cancer known as mesothelioma, that affects the tissues lining the lungs, the heart and the abdominal cavity. These conditions are to date without a known cure. Moreover, the disease manifests late in the staging of the disease and not much other palliative care can be administered.

Heating and Electrical Ducts Containing Asbestos Fibers

It is true that if the product remains intact, it is not harmful to those who inhabit the building and are part of the confines. But it is also true that if the heating and electrical ducts that contains asbestos are not removed and it deteriorates due to weathering or is damaged or broken, millions of tiny asbestos particles are released into the air. When inhaled, these particles remain lodged in the linings of the body's organs. They fester there for many years causing irritation and inflammation and eventually manifest as asbestos-related diseases, including lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma.

Removing Asbestos Heating Ducts

Many asbestos-containing building products are not easy to identify; so too with heating and electrical ducts. It is best to confirm the presence of asbestos by getting a sample tested by an expert lab using polarized light microscopy. The Environmental Protection Agency prescribes strict procedures on how to handle the removal of asbestos containing products like heating and electrical ducts. Some of these include the following precautionary measures:

• dress in protective gear that can be disposed off later
• do not run any heating and air circulation systems
• soak the area to be removed with detergent water
• remove the area with minimal damage
• dispose off material and gear as per regulations.