Asbestos Removal: A History of the Fibre and Why It’s Harmful

According to the Mesothelioma Center, the fibre known as asbestos occurs naturally in deposits all over the world. It has had a number of uses, dating back to the ancient times when the Egyptian pharaohs were wrapped in it so that their bodies would not deteriorate. However, even long ago, the danger of asbestos was noted – specifically in the Greek and Roman cultures, where the slaves who wove asbestos into cloth were reported to have long illnesses.

In the late 1800’s, Canada became the first location in the world to establish commercial asbestos mines. By the early 1900’s, more than 30,000 tons of asbestos were being produced worldwide each year. The product was used in manufacturing, in brake linings and other parts for early motor vehicles, and eventually, a lot of it was used in the construction of buildings.

Even though the harmful effects of asbestos were long documented, environmental regulations prohibiting the use of the material in building construction were slow in following. If your home or commercial building was built before or during the 1980’s, there is a possibility that you may need asbestos removal: as asbestos particles become harmful when they are airborne. Industry best practices dictate you should contact an environmental consulting firm to take samples from your home to be tested in a laboratory. If, in fact, your property contains asbestos, our environmental remediation company will provide a scope of work.

Once you have this scope of work, you should contact a properly trained, insured and experienced contractor (like FERRO). As a member of the Environmental Abatement Council of Canada, FERRO Canada is 100 percent committed to the safe and complete removal of asbestos from your home or business. For more information on the removal of asbestos, please call FERRO today.

Please view the latest edition of FERRO’s digital flip book HERE for a brief overview of how our remediation services can benefit you.