How Long Can Disturbed Asbestos Stay Airborne?
Asbestos are used in many products such as pipes and brake linings for the purpose of insulation and at the same time, it makes them fire-resistant too. However, when these materials are inadequately managed, it is likely that these silicate materials would bring about trouble.
Without the help of a skilful expert, it is highly likely that a large amount of asbestos fibres stays in the air for a long period. Experts are highly trained in the area of asbestos removal and they can conduct an air test after the removal of asbestos to ensure that the quality of air is suitable for people to breathe in. What is the longest length of time that disturbed asbestos remains in the air? Hypothetically, dust fibres and particles usually take around 48 to 72 hours to settle down onto the ground. Having said that, asbestos fibres are minuscule in size and just the smallest motion or action can cause the settled fibres on the ground and surrounding environment to move back into the air again.
If you are troubled about the possible existence of airborne asbestos in your commercial business areas, you should definitely contact and seek guidance from experts such as Iris Environmental Laboratories. Getting help from experts will give you a peace of mind as they are able to conduct air quality tests to find out if there are asbestos in the air.
Can Asbestos Fibres be Seen with the Naked Eye?
Asbestos fibres are too tiny in nature and they cannot be seen with the human naked eye. It will be good to take note that debris, which are huge fibre clusters, are actually made of many tiny fibres of asbestos. Debris might be commonly mistaken as asbestos because some may have visibly observed asbestos separating and splitting up from its original source of material and this is debris in fact. The asbestos fibres are extremely minuscule and in measurement with a human hair’s width, it is approximately 10 times tinier.
As a matter of fact, asbestos fibres are only dispersed into the surrounding air and environment in 2 scenarios. These 2 scenarios are when asbestos-containing materials (ACM) underwent some form of damage or disturbance by an external source. Therefore, it is fine to leave good quality ACM alone because they will not release asbestos fibres.
Is it Possible for Asbestos Fibres to Eventually Settle?
As established earlier on, asbestos fibres are exceedingly fine and lightweight and most importantly, they are able to stay in the air atmosphere effortlessly with very little movement of air. As time passes, asbestos fibres will eventually settle and by gravity, the bigger fibres will settle onto the ground first, followed by the smaller fibres.
The major problem comes after the asbestos fibres settled, because with the slightest air movement, they able to quickly disperse back into the air environment. As a consequence, this highlights the importance of asbestos fibre being get rid of by trained professionals, as well as conducting a quality air test subsequently to quell any lingering doubts.