If you are still clueless about whether vacuuming asbestos sheets is banned, then let me tell you that eventually, diverse nations all across the globe have implemented stringent regulations to safeguard the public from the fatal consequences of asbestos exposure. Asbestos once preferred for years due to its durability and versatility has received a strict ban due to its hazardous properties triggering severe health risks.
Stick to this article to explore the reasons surfacing the ban on vacuuming asbestos sheets, the health hazards caused due to asbestos exposure, and the measures you should adopt to safeguard your health.
Table of Contents
What is Asbestos?
Regarded as a group of natural silicate minerals and fibrous, asbestos has earned public favor all across the globe for its strength, durability, heat resistance, and insulating properties, finding their extensive use in construction materials, such as flooring, roofing, and insulation. However, when asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) used in the construction of ceilings, beams, walls, or crawl spaces of residential and commercial structures and schools are disturbed or damaged, microscopic fibers are released into the air, posing serious health risks.
What are the Health Hazards of Asbestos Exposure?
When an individual gets exposed to asbestos fibers, there are high chance that he or she will develop various respiratory diseases, including lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma. A chronic lung condition, asbestosis is caused by prolonged exposure to asbestos fibers, and as a result, the lung tissues get scarred. On the other hand, lung cancer and mesothelioma are a group of aggressive cancers that surface on inhaling asbestos fibers, and these diseases are latent for several decades between exposure and the showcase of symptoms.
Since a variety of fatal health hazards are caused by asbestos, governments worldwide have imposed strict regulations to regulate uncontrolled asbestos use coupled with mitigating exposure. A large number of developed nations all across the globe after extensive discussion sessions have restricted incorporating asbestos in engineering new projects and products including Canada, the United States, and few states of the European Union. However, many of the older buildings and structures still contain asbestos and it remains a significant concern.
The Ban on Vacuuming Asbestos Sheets
One of the prime regulatory measures implemented to mitigate asbestos exposure coupled with asbestos-related risks is banning vacuuming asbestos sheets as using domestic and portable vacuum cleaners in case of asbestos-containing materials aggravate the release of asbestos fibers into the indoor breathable air. When you are vacuuming the asbestos-containing material, the likelihood of inhalation exposure increases by manifold.
The Risks of Vacuuming Asbestos
When ACMs or asbestos-containing materials are dispersed into the breathable air through activities like sanding, drilling, or vacuuming, the asbestos fibers start lingering in the air. The risk of getting exposed to fatal health hazards increases in this case as standard vacuum cleaners are not equipped with the advanced filtration systems to suck up and trap these microscopic airborne fibers mandatorily and in turn release back the asbestos particles into the indoor air, putting cleaning enthusiasts like you at the risk of inhalation.
Effective Asbestos Abatement Procedures
To address and mitigate the risks linked with ACMs, diverse governments all across the globe have imposed strict guidelines to ensure effective asbestos abatement. These guidelines chiefs focus on using only targeted cleaning equipment, like high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) vacuum cleaners, proven to effectively suck up and trap fibers, ensuring they don’t get dispersed back into the air. The widely favored HEPA filter installed Class H vacuum cleaners are capable of trapping the finest airborne particulate matter as small as 0.3 microns or even smaller, efficiently lowering the risk of asbestos fibers getting released back into indoor air during the vacuum cleaning sessions.
Ways of Safe and Professional Asbestos Removal
In many nations of the globe, vacuuming asbestos sheets or ACMs is strictly prohibited and can only be done under the expertise of expert and licensed professionals because reputed and licensed asbestos removal companies abide by government-established protocols, like adopting containment measures, wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), and using HEPA filtered Class H vacuum cleaning systems to ensure the effective, regulated and safe removal of finest asbestos fibers.
Alternatives to Vacuuming Asbestos Sheets
In exceptional situations where there is a crucial need for vacuuming asbestos-containing materials, alternative methods should be employed to eliminate the asbestos fiber release to the maximum extent possible. In these cases, one can take the help of wet cleaning methods, where you could use water or a liquid agent to hinder the release of the finest asbestos fibers and those getting mixed with indoor air during the cleaning activities in your commercial space or house. Don’t forget to avoid vacuuming and sweeping or adopting effective and established asbestos containment measures to prevent risky exposure.
Conclusion
The prohibition on vacuum cleaning asbestos sheets has been established across diverse nations of the globe for effective asbestos management coupled with asbestos abatement efforts. Any sort of exposure to microscopic asbestos fibers is carcinogenic and thus poses significant health risks.
While cleaning asbestos professionals should abide by government-established protocols, like adopting containment measures, wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), and using HEPA-filtered Class H vacuum cleaning systems to ensure the effective, regulated, and safe removal of the finest asbestos fibers.
In exceptional situations where there is a crucial need for vacuuming asbestos-containing materials, alternative wet cleaning methods should be employed to eliminate the asbestos fiber release to the maximum extent possible.
FAQs
Is use of asbestos banned in India?
The government of India prohibited using asbestos wastes and mining asbestos. But still, in certain poorer regions of the nation, asbestos is used in construction projects, and raw asbestos is traded. A plethora of awareness campaigns coupled with government regulations are increasing to educate people and safeguard public health.
Can you use a vacuum cleaner for asbestos?
Since asbestos has highly hazardous properties and is carcinogenic, you should only use a Class H vacuum cleaner to clean asbestos sheets or perform any work with asbestos. You should not employ DIY attempts to vacuum asbestos sheets to avoid fatal health complications due to unintentional inhalation of the finest particulate asbestos fibers and also avoid portable household vacuum cleaners for any type of asbestos cleanup.
Can you vacuum asbestos out of carpet?
If you try to clean asbestos out of carpets, there are high chance you can develop various respiratory diseases, including lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma. Instead, to protect your health, you should adopt alternative wet cleaning methods to eliminate the asbestos fiber release to the maximum extent possible. Else, it can be done only under the expertise of expert and licensed professionals because reputed and licensed asbestos removal companies abide by government-established protocols to protect you from various cancers stemming from asbestos exposure.
What are the dangers of asbestos sheets?
When one gets exposed to damaged or disturbed asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) used in the construction of ceilings, beams, walls, or crawl spaces of residential and commercial structures and schools, microscopic fibers are released into the indoor air, posing serious health risks like lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma.
What chemical kills asbestos?
Although phosphoric acid has been reported to destroy 30% of asbestos when exposed to high temperatures, there are no targeted chemicals that efficiently destroy the carcinogenic properties of asbestos, and using chemicals without effective knowledge can escalate the dispersal of highly hazardous fibers in the indoor air.
Can you reverse asbestos damage?
There are no ways to reverse health damages incurred due to exposure to asbestos fiber but early intervention on detection might assist to stop increasing symptoms and slow progression of disease, but complete reversal of health damage is not possible yet.
For the past five years, I’ve been engaged as an SEO content writer, specializing in crafting engaging blog posts. My focus lies in meticulously exploring and evaluating household cleaning appliances, particularly those integrated with cutting-edge and emerging technologies.