The disposal of asbestos waste is under the control of the Environment Protection Authority. For further information, you can access the details available in the EPA publication on Asbestos Transport and Disposal, which elaborates the safe handling, transport, and the disposal of asbestos-containing waste.
Asbestos in the homes are still quite widely found, especially on homes which were built or renovated before the 90s. They can be seriously harmful only if the dangerous fibers are released into the air and breathed in. A booklet has been produced by The Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, which describes how to identify asbestos in your home.
If building materials such as asbestos cement sheeting, which is commonly used for walls and roofs, are in good condition, the asbestos fibers are still tightly bound and few will escape into the air. These particular materials are highly unlikely to cause health issues. Even if the roofs or walls are not in good condition, the number of fibers which is released is so small. Asbestos fibers are most possibly to be released when asbestos containing materials is disturbed, for instance, during home renovations which include cutting, drilling, sawing, or breakig asbestos containing materials. There are ways to work safely with asbestos, which are outlined in Asbestos in house which is available from the Department of Health.
Asbestos can Trigger Serious Illnesses
Asbestos fibers can trigger health issues if they are breathed in. the body will remove most fibers which are breathed in, yet some may get trapped in lungs and will eventually cause disease many years later. Breathing in the asbestos fibers may sometimes result in lung cancer, asbestosis, pleural disorders, and malignant mesothelioma.
- Asbestosis
Asbestosis is not a form of cancer. It is chronic and progressive lung disease which is caused by inhaling asbestos fibers over long period of time. It may take 5 to 20 years before the symptoms develop. The accumulated, inhaled fibers generate scarring or fibrosis in the lung. The lung will then develop a honeycomb appearance. Fibrosis or the scar tissue is inflexible and hard, which makes our lungs stiffen and then eventually stops working well.
- Lung Cancer
Those exposed to massive amounts of asbestos have high risk of developing this cancer. The tumor, when not treated early, will spread through lungs and eventually to various parts in the body. The initial exposure will commonly trigger cough. It commonly takes ten to twenty years for the cancer to develop.
- Malignant mesothelioma
This rare cancer attacks the pleura, the outer cover of the lungs. It is soundly associated with the past exposure to asbestos. The tumor begins in pleural and then spreads to the lungs as well as chest wall. There has yet to be cure currently available. It may take thirty to forty years after the exposure for asbestos to develop.
- Pleural disorders
Pleura is the tissue which lines the chest cavity and covers the lung surfaces. Asbestos may generate thickened patches on pleura or widespread fibrosis of pleura and pleural effusions.
