Now, the reason why this happens is because of the dust. Asbestos related diseases are dust related diseases, which makes them totally preventable, a hundred percent preventable, especially now with all the knowledge and all the PPE and the safety culture that we have within industry, it’s readily available, it’s quite cheap and there’s a lot of information on the internet on how to handle asbestos safely, how to transport it safely, where to dump it, you can put all sorts of control measures in place. Like one of our favourite pieces of equipment is we use a negative pressure unit (NPU). What that does is as we’re working, we can create an enclosure and hook up the negative pressure unit. Now, what that does is it changes the air in the work area, and it’ll draw all of the air out of the room while we’re working and pass it through a double HEPA filter that is 99.994 % efficient. This means there’s absolutely no risk of any asbestos fibers coming outside that work area. I love it. It’s not something that we are required to do under the act for the work that we do, but we believe it’s the gold standard for asbestos removal.
And we’re using it a lot more, it is simply the best way to protect you and your family from the dust that’s created from asbestos. Now that dust isn’t pure asbestos, asbestos sheeting and asbestos sheeting products are made of sand, cement, water, and asbestos fibers. When the sheets have broken, the dust from the sand and cement is released also, but also the asbestos. So, there’s no way to tell what you’re breathing in. The best thing is to make sure that you’re wearing PPE, that you make sure, if you can find someone who will use a negative pressure unit, even for a bathroom or a ceiling or any job in your home, it’s the best way to prevent it.
To recap on what we’ve spoken about today, asbestos-related diseases, Mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancers, larynx cancers, it’s turned up in ovarian cancers and some sort of kidney cancers as well. A lot of these diseases, there is no cure for, so as always in life, prevention is better than a cure. I can’t stress the importance enough of making sure that if you have any asbestos damage in your home, you call a professional immediately. Or if you’re going to have any asbestos removed in your home, you do not do it yourself and you get professionals involved. I just think it’s just above the scope and the capabilities of a DIY enthusiast. And that’s what they are. You should be enthusiastic about the work that you want to do in your house, but it shouldn’t lead to deadly consequences like asbestos-related diseases. So that’s it for me today. If you like this video, there’s plenty more over at our YouTube channel, Coastal Asbestos removal, and you can catch up on what’s going on with us on Facebook and Instagram.