You might be delighted if your landlord tells you they are going to make some structural changes to the aging building you live or work in. Maybe they are knocking down some walls to increase light. Perhaps they are finally going to build a second elevator system to avoid the constant need to wait at the start and end of the day. Or maybe they are rewiring the place, a section at a time, to remedy those annoying power cuts and electric shocks that can so disrupt your day.
Yet, it might not all be good news, especially if you will still be in the building while the work takes place. Aside from the noise and inconvenience, there might also be a risk that you are exposed to asbestos dust and, a decade or more down the line, discover you have contracted cancer because of it.
Where could asbestos be hiding?
You likely won’t see asbestos when you look around your building. But that does not mean it is not there. Older buildings, in particular, often contain asbestos in many places, including the roof or wall insulation, ceiling tiles, fireproofing, electrical wiring and roofing sheets. While the dangers to you may have been minimal during all the years it has been left alone, as soon as someone starts hacking into the existing structure, it could cause asbestos fibres to be freed to fly off into the very air that you and those you share the building with breathe.
These days, there is far more awareness of such dangers than there was before, meaning the risk to health during renovations was once even greater. Anyone who believes they contracted cancer due to the landlord renovating where they lived or worked may want to examine their legal options.