The Dangers of Asbestos Exposure in Older AC Systems
Older cooling systems may pose a bigger risk to your health than you think. Here’s how you can be at risk of asbestos exposure.
Keyword(s): asbestos exposure
Asbestos is a lurking danger across the country, living in the shadows. With asbestos exposure, it can kill you; not right away, but later in life, and you wouldn’t even remember or realize that you’d breathed it some time ago.
How can you protect yourself from something you can’t see? That is what we’re going to talk about, so keep on reading.
The History of Asbestos Exposure
Asbestos used to be a material with a lot of uses in the United States before we learned about the dangers of asbestos exposure.
Between the 1930s and the 1980s, the mineral was simple to find. We could mine it from coast to coast. It was an affordable mineral too.
We knew of asbestos being flexible, non-corrosive, and fire-resistant. Manufacturers felt this was a great resource to use for insulation. Asbestos is a safe material when left alone.
That it was a fire retardant was a big reason they chose it for air conditioning units. As a result, hundreds of thousands of homes in the United States had it installed and faced asbestos exposure risk.
Asbestos Exposure Risk
Using asbestos was banned beginning in the 1980s. But asbestos dangers still loom over us. While we may regulate it now, many homes that were built prior to this time still face the potential for asbestos exposure.
The new insulation that construction professionals use today is safe for your home and it’s not expensive. You should consider this for your family’s safety if you’re looking for a new home or if you’re looking to rehab your current home that was built prior to the 1980s.
AC Systems
Still today, AC systems can contain asbestos dangers and no one would notice. Asbestos exposure can happen to you, leaving you completely unaware of its destructive path to your lungs.
If your heating and cooling systems have damage, it can produce dust. This dust can contain toxic fibers, which can release asbestos into your air.
After a few decades, the asbestos particles can irritate an infected person and begin scarring their internal organs. When exposed, the particles attach themselves and eventually lead to a life-threatening illness.
Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer
Not too long ago, research began showing that mesothelioma, a malignant and rare type of cancer, is mainly caused by asbestos exposure. It may be slow to form, but mesothelioma is quick to kill.
Mesothelioma can take anywhere from 20 to 50 years to develop. Once diagnosed, the average life expectancy is less than two years. Diagnosing mesothelioma in the early stages can make for a better prognosis, but it’s usually (almost always) fatal.
It’s also responsible for individuals developing lung cancer. Lung cancer is the most common and deadly result of asbestos exposure. Research shows smoking causes 80-90% of cases of lung cancer, and asbestos exposure is the number one cause in 4% of cases.
AC Systems and Asbestos Risks
How do you know if you’re at risk of asbestos exposure? If you ever notice white dust coming from your AC unit, that could be a sign. However, typically, the asbestos mineral is not easily noticeable, particularly if you don’t disturb it.
Often, when AC systems have asbestos in them, the mineral usually releases into the home. The homeowner may try to clean it. They’ll rub or scrape the interior.
Most homes already contain dust. It’s possible the circulation and vibration of the home’s airflow had caused damage to the metal foil covering the interior of the ducts. This is how you’re exposed, as it comes to the surface and then becomes airborne.
Heating and Cooling Systems
We don’t consider older buildings with intact AC systems dangerous to those who live there. In these cases, homeowners are better off just leaving it alone. They should reduce the time that they interact with it.
If you think that your air conditioning unit could harm you and your family with airborne asbestos exposure, take immediate action. Air ducts with asbestos exposure risk will make your home a hazard quickly.
Hire an Expert
If you aren’t an expert on AC systems and asbestos exposure, the best thing to do is to contact an asbestos professional to help you identify if you’re at risk. Don’t fix the problem on your own unless you’re a trained professional.
There are a lot of materials that could contain asbestos, which is why you need an expert. Items like these can have asbestos exposure risk:
- Flue pipes
- Cooling tower equipment
- Duct connectors
- Thermal insulation
- Siding
- Refrigeration equipment
- Compressors
- Floor tiles
- Ceiling
- Joint compound
- Hot water
- Steam pipes
- Asbestos blanket or tape
Ask the professional you hire to perform a thorough inspection. If they find your home is in danger of exposing you to asbestos, they should also give you an idea of a plan of action to fix the problem.
If you haven’t contacted a professional, but believe that you’re at asbestos exposure risk, take the following actions right away:
- Seal off the vents and the air ducts
- Block off that area of the house at risk and don’t allow access to it
- Close the windows
- Secure under the doors
We Can Help
With over 25 years of experience in HVAC, we believe in quality workmanship and customer service. We provide professional 24-hour emergency services, 365 days a year. We’re here when you need us.
If you’re worried about your home, just call us and let us put your mind at ease. We can help you identify if you have asbestos risks. If you don’t have it, you’ll sleep better.
If you’re at risk of asbestos exposure with your heating and cooling systems, we can fix it. Rather sooner than later, reach out and let’s talk. We look forward to hearing from you.
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