While I focus primarily on beauty and mom-com, I care so much about the topic of Asbestos and the consequences of exposure that I am willing to take a pause to focus on the scary real-life dangers of this toxic mineral- specifically Mesothelioma. Nothing beautiful or family-friendly about asbestos and the serious diseases associated with it!
Did you know that more than 107k people die EACH YEAR of asbestos-related diseases?
My experience with asbestos is a personal one. As the due date for my youngest son rapidly approached, we were in a frantic search to find a new home in the suburbs- acknowledging that two dogs and two kids in a two bedroom urban condo was not ideal.
We fell in love with a charming 1920s home so with an immediate and above asking offer, we snagged our suburban dream house!
Eager to get in and underway before the baby came, we immediately went ahead and scheduled necessary appointments and inspections. As with most older homes I expected a few red flags, but I was completely caught off-guard when our thorough inspector, Bret Kaufmann of Kaufmann Consultants, LLC, detected what appeared to be asbestos in a crawl space and around interior piping (Brett was SO thorough and looked through holes in the wall to find this dangerous mineral!).
Imagine the shock when I heard those words!? "That looks like asbestos."
The realtor, the inspector, and my husband tried to talk me down, but in the height of my maternal nesting stage, I couldn't get out of the basement fast enough!
The truth is, in our area, nearly every home has asbestos located within the walls and around old piping. Before closing on our home, we requested a few updates- the most important of which was the encapsulation of the asbestos identified areas. Fortunately the previous owners agreed. After reassurance from the asbestos remediation team and fellow home owners who have experienced the same challenge, I know our home is safe for our kids.
But this spring my anxiety over possible asbestos exposure is starting to stir. We are prepping to undergo a minor home renovation. There are a lot of scenarios that keep me up at night? What will they find in the walls? What if construction stirs up the dangerous Asbestos fibers I've finally come to grips with?
The best way to cope with the challenges of living in an old home that has asbestos in it, is to learn more about asbestos exposure and how best to protect my family. I'm working with a superior team that has been made aware of the areas in our home that may have asbestos and I am reassured by their confidence to identify, remediate, and protect my family from this dangerous mineral.
So as April approaches, please take a moment to read this infographic and learn more about asbestos and Mesothelioma here.
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