TexStar Labs LLC is a full service
environmental consulting agency and licensed as a Texas Department
of Health Asbestos Consulting Agency. TexStar Labs can
provide asbestos consulting, project management, air monitoring, or
inspections with customer satisfaction as our number one
priority.
Having trouble getting a city permit?
Do you need an asbestos inspection today? Let us help!
We specialize in same day asbestos inspections so you can be at the
permit office first thing tomorrow morning. Fast
turnaround on sample results also available. Let us quote you
a price over the phone. Give us a call at
281-890-8170.
Asbestos in your home? Not sure? Have
you had renovations in your home recently? You may have been
exposed to asbestos and not even know. TexStar Labs will come
to your house after hours or weekends to test your home. Give
us a call and let us help!
We accept Visa and MasterCard! Personal checks or
business checks also accepted.
What is
Asbestos?
Asbestos is the name for a group of
naturally occurring minerals that when broken down form into long,
thin fibers. It has been used in thousands of products due to it's
unique combination of strength, flexibility, acoustical properties,
and resistance to thermal, chemical, and electrical
conditions.
Following are six types of
asbestos:
Chrysotile (white), Amosite (brown),
Crocidolite (blue), Tremolite, Actinolite,
Anthopyllite
Where is Asbestos
found?
Asbestos has been used on over 3,500 known
products that were used in the construction of homes, retail,
commercial, offices, and high-rise buildings, industrial &
chemical plants, and numerous other products used everyday at home
or work.
Most common products in which Asbestos is
found.
Residential
transite shingles & siding, blown-in insulation, ceiling
texture, drywall/joint compound, floor tile & mastic, vinyl
sheet flooring, piping insulation, air duct insulation, electrical
wiring insulation, and other less commonly used items.
Retail/Commercial/Office
roofing materials, transite shingles, siding, and piping,
spray-on insulation, ceiling panels, ceiling texture, drywall/joint
compound, floor tile & mastic, vinyl sheet flooring, baseboard
mastic, plaster, fire doors, piping insulation, air duct
insulation, vibration dampers, electrical wiring insulation, black
boards, and other less commonly used items.
Industrial
gaskets, valve packing, brake pads, laboratory table tops, vent
hoods, roofing materials, transite shingles, siding, and piping,
spray-on insulation, ceiling panels, ceiling texture, drywall/joint
compound, floor tile & mastic, vinyl sheet flooring, baseboard
mastic, plaster, fire doors, piping insulation, air duct
insulation, vibration dampers, electrical wiring insulation, and
other less commonly used items.
How can you be exposed to
Asbestos?
The most common route for asbestos exposure is by inhalation,
that is breathing the fibers into your lungs. This means that in
order to breath the asbestos it must become airborne. Non-airborne
asbestos exposure is virtually harmless with the exception of a few
cases of cancer caused by ingested asbestos and asbestos warts on
the skin most commonly found on asbestos workers.
What are the health effects of
Asbestos?
There are basically three illnesses caused by asbestos, these
are asbestosis, mesothelioma, and cancer. Asbestos related diseases
are often not discovered until 15 to 40 years after exposure
although there are many instances of very short periods between
exposure and death. Asbestos diseases are almost always fatal,
although there are millions of people that have asbestos exposure
of some level with no symptoms.
Asbestosis is the most common asbestos related disease and is
simply scarring of the lungs. Asbestosis is usually associated with
large and/or long term exposures to asbestos. The asbestos fibers
lodge themselves into the lungs aveoli causing the body's defense
systems to go into action. The first thing the body tries to do is
break down the fibers and wash them out of the lungs but since the
asbestos fibers resist most chemicals, even strong acids, the body
is forced coat the fibers which becomes a plaque. The plaque is
like scar tissue in the aveoli and since the aveoli is where the
oxygen we breathe is transferred to the blood, as the scar tissue
grows, less and less oxygen reaches our blood stream and eventually
the person will suffocate to death. There is no known cure.
Mesothelioma is the second most common asbestos related disease
and is simply scarring of the tissue surrounding the lungs. In some
exposures to asbestos, fibers have penetrated the exterior of the
lungs and scratch the lining surrounding the lungs. These scratches
become cancerous. There is no known cure.
Cancer sometimes occurs in the lungs caused by the asbestos
fibers but is not clinically defined as asbestosis, or
mesothelioma.
Smoking is known to increase your chances of asbestos diseases
by 75x to 100x a non-smoker. The smoke coats the lung tissues and
lessens the body's natural defense mechanisms for removing
particulates from the lungs.
How can I find out if I have
Asbestos in my workplace or home?
The only method to determine if you have asbestos in your home
or workplace is to have the suspect material tested. An approved
lab must analyze the sample with special equipment specifically
designed for asbestos analysis.
