Asbestos was commonly used for building materials in homes across the United States. From roof tiles to insulation and flooring, asbestos was used in houses up until the 1980s. That means that if your house was made during or before the 80’s you could be at risk of asbestos exposure, especially if you decide to do any kind of do it yourself house renovation. So how can you avoid being exposed to asbestos in you house?

The main way people are exposed to asbestos is by attempting their own do it yourself renovations. Asbestos in your home are relatively harmless unless you disturb them. However, you may not even have asbestos in your home. To find out whether asbestos was used in the construction of your house, hire a home inspector to test whether the parts of you house you want to work on contain asbestos that could be disturbed. You can also sample some of the item you believe to possibly contain asbestos and send it to a lab for testing.

To know which parts of you house you need to have inspected or tested, you need to know which parts are particularly at risk. At risk areas include attics, drywall, ceilings, and floor tiles, and pipe insulation.

Attics may have leftover old insulation inside them, and working alongside this asbestos ridden insulation is very dangerous. Any disturbance can send asbestos fibers flying into the air.

Another risky area is drywall and ceilings. It was very common for drywall to be insulated with asbestos, and if you do any kind of tampering with your drywall you could be exposing yourself to asbestos. Something as simple as drilling a hole in your drywall to hang a decoration can lead to exposure. Popcorn ceilings also tend to have asbestos in them, so avoid attempting to tamper with them until you can get them inspected.

You should also avoid tampering with old floor tiles and pipe insulation, as asbestos was heavily used in these items as well.

Always be sure to have any of these at risk areas inspected before you attempt any kind of home renovation. Doing so will eliminate the risk of breathing in asbestos fibers and contracted one of the many deadly diseases it causes.