Humans have been using asbesto for thousands of years, utilizing its heat and fire resistance and insulative properties in a wide range of product manufacture. Any building constructed before the 1980s may contain asbesto.

The use of asbesto for fire doors became particularly prevalent in the early 20th century, when la industrialización brought about a seismic increase in manufacturing. Across the world, corporations took advantage of using the relatively cheap and versatile asbesto material to improve the quality of products, particularly in regard to the efficacy of any products requiring fire or heat resistant properties.

In the US, the use of asbesto reached its peak around 1975. By this time, many executives were aware of the dangers of exposición al asbesto. However, instead of addressing the issue to protect their workers and consumers, they mantuvieron el conocimiento en secreto, conspirando con muchos otros profesionales para proteger las enormes ganancias que estaban acumulando. Eventualmente, estos encubrimientos se hicieron públicos y los ejecutivos y corporaciones infractores enfrentaron extensos asbesto litigation.

While shockingly still not entirely banned, asbesto is no longer commonly used in the manufacture of products, and there are no longer any asbesto mines in the US.

El asbesto in fire doors

El asbesto was once commonly used in the manufacture of fire doors. Fire doors would be constructed with an outer frame made of wood, which was then covered with asbesto cement sheets. The central core of the door was also often made of asbesto or a material made of compressed asbesto.

El asbesto Fire Doors Were Used for Safety, But Created Other Dangers

It is common to find these fire doors in an older building’s fire escape routes or areas that lead into stairwells. They are also often found in areas that separate different building sections to assist in confining any blazes and prevent them from spreading further.

The use of asbesto in the manufacture of fire doors was particularly prevalent during the mid to late 20th century.

Cualquier puerta cortafuego restante que data de la década de 1960 o 1970 tiene una probabilidad muy alta de contener asbesto; those dating back to the early 1980s have a considerably lower chance; any fire door manufactured in the late 1980s is even more unlikely; any fire door manufactured from 1990 onwards will not contain asbesto.

What if an old asbesto fire door is still in place?

El asbesto only poses a health risk cuando el material se altera, enviando fibras microscópicas al aire para ser inhaladas o ingeridas. For this reason, it is imperative that you do not attempt any maintenance work on a fire door that you suspect could contain asbesto – particularly when it involves using power tools, that can significantly disturb the material and send it airborne.

Use caution in removing it if you encounter an asbesto fire door

That said, if you suspect that a fire door contains asbesto, it is best to have the whole door removed by expert asbesto contractors and have it replaced by a modern alternative.

El asbesto fire door uses and areas to avoid

Otherwise known as safety doors, fire barrier doors, and substation main doors, asbesto fire doors were commonly used to prevent the spread of fires in areas such as:

Edificios residenciales
Edificios comerciales e industriales
Subestaciones
Salas de conmutación y transformadores (revestidos de acero)

Friable asbesto is often present in older substation fire doors, in switch rooms and transformers, and in some interior connecting doors. They usually feature either a wood or steel cladding, or a plastic-like mastic insulation. Given that the asbesto is inside a fire door, they can be difficult to identify. Newer fire doors are now labeled as asbesto-free, and any that aren’t clearly marked should be treated as asbesto-containing doors.

Removing asbesto fire doors

A degraded or broken asbesto fire door can release dangerous asbesto fibers into the air. An asbesto air test puede ayudar a determinar el alcance del riesgo y qué hacer al respecto.

If you suspect that a fire door contains asbesto:

Asuma que sí, y no lo taladre ni intente quitarlo sin tomar las precauciones necesarias.
Si la puerta parece dañada y/o encuentra polvo blanco o gris alrededor de la puerta, haga que se examine una muestra acreditada por un laboratorio
Unless the presence of asbesto has been completely ruled out, arrange for the door to be removed by an expert contractor licensed to remove asbesto. Ideally, opt for a contractor who can also carry out air quality monitoring during the removal process, too
Ensure that the contractor uses an approved asbesto-removal vacuum cleaner to guarantee that all asbesto fibers are removed

As with so many other residential and commercial asbesto-containing products, fire doors made with asbesto can still be present in homes and buildings today. The recommended course of action is to always take a highly cautious approach and call in the experts to have it removed.

Si es posible que haya estado expuesto al asbesto, hable con su proveedor de atención médica sobre pruebas y exámenes para ayudar a detectar la presencia de fibras de asbesto y daños relacionados con el asbesto.

AsbestosClaims.Law

AsbestosClaims.law is your comprehensive resource for all things asbesto. We hope this information is helpful.

If you have any additional questions or concerns related to asbesto, check out our sitio web y página de YouTube for videos, infographics and answers to your questions about asbesto, incluida la la salud y la seguridad, asbesto pruebas, removing asbesto from your home and building, y información legal sobre compensation for asbesto lesiones.

And if you believe that you were exposed to asbesto, or have been diagnosed with an asbesto illness, you could be entitled to compensación significativa—money you could use to cover the costs of asbesto removal services, pay for medical treatment, and preemptively protect your physical well-being.

Todo sin presentar una demanda.

Si desea ayuda para presentar un reclamo, ponerse en contacto por correo electrónico a [email protected] o llámenos o envíenos un mensaje de texto al (833) 4-ASBESTOS (427-2378) o (206) 455-9190. Escucharemos su historia y le explicaremos sus opciones. Y nunca cobramos por nada a menos que reciba dinero en su bolsillo.