Is Removing Asbestos Siding Dangerous

The high cost of asbestos removal alone may keep some people from hiring a contractor.

Is removing asbestos siding dangerous.

Removing asbestos siding is a tricky issue as it often poses no real health threat if left intact. Extra precautions are vital to ensure that the process is done safely and that the dust and debris does not enter your home creating an ongoing danger for you and your family. Asbestos siding removal pros and cons one common misconception is that asbestos must be removed and that removing it is very expensive and dangerous. Safely removing asbestos siding if you do decide to remove asbestos siding from your home the answer to is asbestos siding dangerous isn t necessarily yes.

However if you want to remove you have two options. As long as the siding remains intact it can stay. Asbestos siding is composed of asbestos fibers mixed with portland cement. The process of removing asbestos shingles from your roof or siding will disturb the materials and create a hazardous environment.

Exposure to and breathing asbestos fibers can result in lung problems and cancer. Cutting asbestos siding is the only danger which is minimized with use of specialized tools that shear rather than cut the shingles. In fact you may be able to install new siding on top of the asbestos siding no removal necessary. It is very brittle and has a tendency to crack and break when nailed which can release asbestos fibers into both the air and ground.

Just as taking samples of asbestos is dangerous these other methods are even more so. The real safety issue with asbestos is when large amounts of it are removed indoors and proper protocol and equipment is not used to capture and collect all asbestos fibers released. Asbestos siding poses absolutely no health risk of the siding is intact and in place. Also i recommend against installing new siding over top of the existing asbestos material as the process will damage the latter and cause asbestos fibers to be released.

Using sheeting around the house in order to make sure debris falls onto it and can easily be removed. Even though most government health and environmental agencies strongly urge homeowners to hire a contractor to remove asbestos it is possible to remove it yourself. Scraping or brushing off old paint from asbestos siding is necessary before repainting but dangerous because it can release small asbestos fibres the approach of removing the old shingles and replacing them with new siding is an option that many homeowners have pursued though probably not as safely as they should. The general steps included in removing asbestos siding are.

Heat water weathering or simple aging also makes the material more fragile at which point it can become dangerous to work with.