The Most Common Safety Hazards In Home Improvement Projects
Homes in the United States are older than at any point ever recorded and Americans are spending billions of dollars to improve them. According to the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, the median age of owner occupied homes is 41 years and almost 50 percent were built before 1980. Along with...
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Can Asbestos Cause Immediate Symptoms?
In general, asbestos exposure does not cause immediate symptoms. Symptoms can take many years to appear, sometimes decades after the exposure. Asbestos-related diseases typically develop over a long period of time and are often not diagnosed until they have reached an advanced stage. However, in some cases, asbestos exposure can cause immediate symptoms such...
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How Lymph Nodes in Rib Cage Could Help Treatment of Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive type of cancer that is caused by exposure to asbestos. Pleural mesothelioma, the most common type, can occur when an individual inhales or breathes in asbestos fibers. While there is currently no known cure for this fatal cancer, medical advancements hold hope for the future of mesothelioma patients....
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The Future of Cancer Treatment
Mesothelioma is a particularly challenging form of cancer to treat due to its aggressive nature and the difficulty of detecting it early. Symptoms may not appear until decades after asbestos exposure; even then, they may be mistaken for other less serious conditions. As a result, mesothelioma is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, which...
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Can You Live With One Lung After Lung Cancer or Mesothelioma Surgery?
It is possible to live with one lung after lung cancer or mesothelioma surgery. The human body is capable of adapting to the loss of one lung, and many people who have undergone lung resection surgery (removal of part or all of the lung) go on to lead active and normal lives. After surgery,...
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Is Asbestos Banned in the U.S.?
Asbestos is not completely banned in the United States, but its use is heavily regulated. In 1989, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) banning most uses of asbestos, but this ban was overturned by a court in 1991. Since then, the use of asbestos...
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Mesothelioma in the United States: Where are people at highest risk of developing this deadly cancer?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, killing an estimated 605,213 people in 2021 alone. While lung, colon, and breast cancer are the most common, they are far from the deadliest forms of the disease. Cancer researchers determine how deadly...
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How to Safely Remove & Dispose of Asbestos
Asbestos is a dangerous group of minerals that was banned in the United States in the 1980s after research confirmed its carcinogenic properties. This information came too late, however, to prevent millions of homes and businesses from being built using materials that contain asbestos. Today, these materials may need to be removed to protect...
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How Can You Tell if Popcorn Ceiling Has Asbestos?
Asbestos is a dangerous substance that was widely used to manufacture building materials in the 1800s and 1900s, before it was confirmed as carcinogenic (cancer-causing) and regulated in the United States. One of the many construction materials that used asbestos as an ingredient is textured ceiling sprays, including “popcorn” ceilings. If your home or...
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Asbestos in Popcorn Ceilings | How to Detect & What to Do
Popcorn ceilings, or ceilings that are decorated with a bumpy spray-on texture, were popular in homes built between 1950 and 1990. The textured spray was common due to its soundproofing abilities and resistance to heat. Unfortunately, many popcorn ceiling sprays contained asbestos – a dangerous mineral that can cause mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis and...
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