Exposure to asbestos increases the body burden of asbestos fibers, and it is very important to reduce and minimize your exposure. Call ITS Environmental Services today. We will perform a thorough inspection and provide a no-obligation estimate. If you have any questions, we are here to help.
At ITS Environmental Services, the safety of our customers is our number one priority. Information is crucial when it comes to protecting your family, loved ones and your employees. We have included several resource pages on our website to provide information concerning various natural and environmental disasters.
What Is Asbestos?
Asbestos refers to six naturally occurring fibrous minerals. Asbestos minerals are made up of fine, durable fibers and are resistant to heat, fire and many chemicals. Asbestos was used in everyday products including fireproofing materials, insulation, wall and ceiling compounds and textured paints, roofing materials, floor tiling and flooring adhesives. It is now well known that exposure to asbestos can cause mesothelioma, a fatal cancer that affects the lining of the lungs, as well as other cancers and lung-related illnesses.
Asbestos Exposure
Asbestos Removal Specialists
Exposure to asbestos most often occurs in the workplace, but can happen to anyone who comes into contact with asbestos in homes, buildings and various products. It is important for individuals to know their risks, especially if they have a history of asbestos exposure. People who have had exposure should learn how to protect themselves through medical monitoring.
Asbestos fibers most commonly enter the body through breathing. Asbestos containing material is not generally considered to be harmful unless it is releasing dust or fibers into the air where they can be inhaled or ingested. Asbestos fibers can become trapped in the mucous membranes of the nose and throat. The body can get rid of some asbestos fibers, but many fibers become stuck permanently in the lungs, or, if swallowed, into the digestive tract. Once they are trapped in the body, the fibers can cause health problems.
Asbestos is most hazardous when it is friable, which means that the asbestos is easily crumbled by hand, releasing fibers into the air. While sprayed on asbestos insulation is highly friable, asbestos floor tile is not. Materials such as asbestos-containing ceiling tiles, floor tiles, shingles, fire doors and siding shingles will not release asbestos fibers unless they are disturbed or damaged in some way.
Asbestos materials can become damage and deteriorate, which will increase the friability of the asbestos-containing materials. Some ways in which damage can occur include – water damage, continual vibration, aging, and physical impact such as drilling, grinding, buffing, cutting, sawing, or striking can break the materials down making fiber release more likely.
Asbestos Health Effects
Asbestos fibers are extremely durable and the body cannot break them down or remove them once they are lodged in lung or body tissues. Once embedded, asbestos fibers can cause disease.
The following three diseases are associated with asbestos exposure:
- Asbestosis
- Lung Cancer
- Mesothelioma
Asbestosis
Asbestosis is a serious, chronic, non-cancerous respiratory disease. Inhaled asbestos fibers aggravate lung tissues, which cause them to scar. Symptoms of asbestosis include shortness of breath and a dry crackling sound in the lungs while inhaling. In its advanced stages, the disease may cause cardiac failure.
There is no effective treatment for asbestosis, and sadly the disease is usually disabling or fatal. The risk of asbestosis is minimal for those who did not work with asbestos. Asbestosis is rarely caused by limited exposure. Workers who renovate or demolish buildings that contained asbestos are at higher risk of developing asbestosis, depending on the nature of the exposure and precautions taken.
Lung Cancer
Lung cancer causes the largest number of deaths related to asbestos exposure. The incidence of lung cancer in people who are directly involved in the mining, milling, manufacturing and use of asbestos and its products is much higher than in the general population. The most common symptoms of lung cancer are coughing and a change in breathing. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, persistent chest pains, hoarseness, and anemia.
People who have been exposed to asbestos and are also exposed to some other carcinogen — such as cigarette smoke — have a significantly greater risk of developing lung cancer than people who have only been exposed to asbestos. One study found that asbestos workers who smoke are about 90 times more likely to develop lung cancer than people who neither smoke nor have been exposed to asbestos.
Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that most often occurs in the thin membrane lining of the lungs, chest, abdomen, and (rarely) heart. About 200 cases are diagnosed each year in the United States. Virtually all cases of mesothelioma are linked with asbestos exposure. Approximately 2 percent of all miners and textile workers who work with asbestos, and 10 percent of all workers who were involved in the manufacture of asbestos-containing gas masks, contract mesothelioma.
People who work in asbestos mines, asbestos mills and factories, and shipyards that use asbestos, as well as people who manufacture and install asbestos insulation, have an increased risk of mesothelioma. People who have secondary exposure are also at risk, such as those who live with asbestos workers, near asbestos mining areas, near asbestos product factories or near shipyards where use of asbestos has produced large quantities of airborne asbestos fibers.
Other Cancers
Evidence suggests that cancers in the esophagus, larynx, oral cavity, stomach, colon and kidney may be caused by ingesting asbestos. For more information on asbestos-related cancers, contact your local chapter of the American Cancer Society.
Increase Risk Factors for Asbestos Related Illness
There are risk factors that can increase the possibility of developing one of these asbestos related diseases:
- The amount and duration of exposure – the more you are exposed to asbestos and the more fibers that enter your body, the more likely you are to develop asbestos related problems. While there is no “safe level” of asbestos exposure, people who are exposed more frequently over a long period of time are more at risk.
- Whether or not you smoke – if you smoke and you have been exposed to asbestos, you are far more likely to develop lung cancer than someone who does not smoke and who has not been exposed to asbestos. If you work with asbestos or have been exposed to it, the first thing you should do to reduce your chances of developing cancer is to stop smoking.
- Age – cases of mesothelioma have occurred in the children of asbestos workers whose only exposures were from the dust brought home on the clothing of family members who worked with asbestos. The younger people are when they inhale asbestos, the more likely they are to develop mesothelioma. This is why enormous efforts are being made to prevent school children from being exposed.
Additional information concerning the health risks associated with asbestos is available at pleuralmesothelioma.com and asbestos.com.
Because each exposure to asbestos increases the body burden of asbestos fibers, it is very important to reduce and minimize your exposure. Call ITS Environmental Services today. We will perform a thorough inspection and provide a no-obligation estimate.
The safety of our customers is our #1 priority. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us anytime. We are here to help.
Emergency Response
At ITS Environmental Services, we provide complete emergency HAZMAT cleanup, disinfection and site remediation & restoration services. Our highly experienced technicians are available for immediate emergency cleanup following a natural or environmental event. We use state-of-the-art equipment and advanced cleaning methodologies on all jobs. We follow strict standards and regulations to maximize safety.
Content Packout & Storage Services
Packing & Storage
If you’ve had a flood or fire in your home or office, or if you require mold, asbestos or lead abatement, we can take the unaffected contents and store it in our clean and safe warehouse until the affected area has been cleaned & fully restored. We have the ability to pack out and transport personal property to our warehouse for your short term or long term storage solutions. We will carefully wrap, package and inventory the items and label each box. We provide protective coverings for all furniture and items of value. We securely load the contents onto our trucks and safely deliver it to our warehouse. Our warehouse is climate controlled and equipped with central station monitoring, fire and theft alarms and sprinkler system. We have a fleet of box trucks and vans to accommodate any size job. We will also deliver the contents back to you when it is safe to do so.
Restoring & Rebuilding Your Property
If you have damage to your property, whether it was caused by a flood or fire in your home or business, or you had mold, lead or asbestos removal performed, or have storm damage, we can provide a complete rebuild of the affected area and restore your home or business to its pre-loss condition. We understand that you want to have your home back to normal for your family or reduce additional economic loss to your business. We can provide you with a free no-obligation estimate for the repair and restore of your property, and if an insurance claim was submitted, we can help negotiate with your insurance company. Call us today for your free no-obligation estimate.
For a more detailed description of each of the Restoration Services we provide, please visit our Services pages, which are listed in both the top and left side menu.
IICRC Certified Firm
We Follow Strict Standards
From start to finish, ITS Environmental Services, Inc. is a leading expert in environmental restoration and remediation in the New York and Tri State area. We will handle every facet of any size commercial or residential flood mitigation, mold remediation and fire & smoke damage restoration project. In addition to our water mitigation & drying, mold remediation & removal and fire/smoke damage restoration services, we provide emergency biohazard cleanup, disinfection for germs, viruses and bacteria, animal damage cleanup, trauma, death & crime scene cleanup, gross filth & hoarding cleanup, odor removal, asbestos and lead abatement & removal, oil, fuel & chemical spill mitigation and other environmental hazardous restoration services. We also offer packing, moving & storage for personal property during the restoration process and rebuilds of damaged property. Our team has substantial training and experience, and we incorporate the most advanced mitigation techniques, equipment and methodologies to provide the highest effective restoration process. We follow the strict standards of the IICRC, CDC & EPA on every project. We are highly experienced, IICRC and CEICR Certified and fully insured. We offer free inspections and estimates, and we will negotiate with insurance carriers on behalf of our clients. Call us today 1-855-862-7474.
The Restoration Specialists
Call ITS Environmental Services Today
Over the past 10 years, ITS Environmental Services has become the leading restoration company for all types of remediation in homes and commercial properties. We will restore and rebuild any property back to a safe environment. We provide emergency service for homes and businesses damaged by flooding, fire & smoke, mold, biohazardous waste, odors, germs, viruses & bacteria, blood and bodily fluids due to crime, death & trauma related events, animal & pests, gross filth, hoarding, asbestos, lead, fuel, oil & chemical spills and other environmental hazards throughout New York, Long Island, Westchester, New Jersey and Connecticut 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you are in need of property restoration from environmental damage, please call us today. We understand the challenges facing our customers when they contact us, and we will do our utmost to assist you every step of the way. We will perform a No-Obligation inspection and provide you with a detailed estimate of the work to be performed, and we will assist you in negotiating with your insurance carrier. ITS Environmental Services, Inc. is a fully insured corporation, IICRC & CEICR Certified and all of our technicians are trained and certified. Call us today at 1-855-862-7474.