You might wonder if you and your family are exposed to an unsafe living environment by being unknowingly in contact with asbestos.
That's why an asbestos survey can help you to get clarity on your concern.
If the material is damaged, for example having broken asbestos shingles on your roof, or cracks in the asbestos siding of your house, you are at a higher risk of doing serious harm to your health.
Mesothelioma, certain forms of lung cancers and asbestosis are the most commonly known medical conditions that are caused by exposure to asbestos.
Therefore, more and more homeowners who live in a house built prior to 1985 hire professional asbestos surveyors.
Typically, asbestos removal companies offer asbestos surveys and also let you know how much it would cost to get the potentially hazardous material removed from your property.
Asbestos surveyors are usually hired by people who already own property, but also potential buyers who need to make sure that the object is free of any contamination caused by toxic materials.
Either way, after asbestos testing is done and the test report indicates a problem, it is advisable to hire an asbestos removal company rather sooner than later to get rid of the problem.
I strongly recommend not trying to do it yourself and I will tell you why.
Before we remodeled our house, we had it surveyed for the presences of asbestos and any other potentially problematic toxins.
The test result confirmed that everything was okay.
A few years later, both my wife and I got diagnosed with cancer.
But since we had an asbestos survey done already, we were assured that the cause of our diseases was not due to an unsafe living environment.
Needless to say that this brought us tremendous relief just for the sake and safety of our two children.
Later on we got confirmation that there was no common thread for our cancers, but it was sheer coincidence that both of us got diagnosed.
Concerning my cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma, or also known as kidney cancer, I always wondered whether it could have been caused by the fact that I used to help my father working on our house back in the 1980.
Over a period of several months we installed asbestos insulation sheets on the outside walls of our home, which required us to cut and trim the sheets beforehand.
Back then, asbestos was still widely used and I know for a fact that neither my father nor I wore any protection gear.
Further to that, I vividly recall breathing in the dust and debris almost on a daily basis.
With that being said, there is no proof that my kidney cancer was caused by my exposure to the material.
However, there is also no evidence that it wasn't.
The size and the characteristics of my primary tumor gave my doctors reason to believe that my cancer started to develop more than 20 years ago, and that is another aspect that could lead to the conclusion that there indeed is a link between my asbestos exposure and the cancer I developed later on.
The bottom line is: in my opinion, it is worth spending the money hiring expert asbestos surveyors if you are concerned about your and your family's safety.
I guarantee you; it costs less than dealing with the medical bills that occur when you have to deal with a serious health condition.