About Asbestos
Any building constructed before 2000 is thought to contain an ACM (Asbestos Containing Material) of one type or another. They are found in schools, hospitals, factories, public buildings even domestic properties, so asbestos has woven itself into our lives, but largely unseen.
The properties and versatility of asbestos made it an excellent building material. As a good thermal insulator it has been used to lag pipes and protect structural steelwork. It is also an excellent electrical insulating material and its high tensile strength has been used to give that strength to a wide range of other products such as gaskets. The long flexible fibres have been woven into cloth and rope used for fire protection and sealing of joints.
Add to all this the fact that it is highly resilient and does not degrade; it is not surprising it was used so widely. However, unfortunately it can also be deadly! Large numbers of people are now dying from past exposure to asbestos and will continue to do so unless action is taken.
If you own, occupy, manage or have responsibilities for non-domestic premises which may contain asbestos you have a legal duty to manage the risk from this material.
There are three main types of asbestos still found in premises today. These are commonly called ‘blue asbestos’ (crocidolite), ‘brown asbestos’ (amosite) and ‘white asbestos’ (chrysotile). All of them are dangerous, but blue and brown asbestos’ are more hazardous than white, but unfortunately you cannot identify them by their colour.
Although it is now illegal to use asbestos in the construction or refurbishment of any premises, many thousands of tonnes of it were used in the past and much of it is still in place. As long as it is in good condition and is not being or going to be disturbed or damaged there is no risk. But if it is disturbed or damaged, it can become a danger to health, because asbestos fibres are released into the air and people can breathe them in.
Up to 1,500,000 commercial, industrial and public buildings in the UK are likely to contain asbestos materials. Unless this material is properly managed anyone who has access to the buildings, including employees, the public and building/maintenance workers is at risk from breathing in the life-threatening fibres of asbestos.
An asbestos survey is now required due to new law legislation and is highly advisable for the health and safety of a workforce, friends or family.
19 Responses to “About Asbestos”
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Wood floors will not have asbestos 100 year old walls are very unlikely to have it. So, bottom line, there may be no asbestos exposure in your life at all other than what comes naturally. Even if the house did have some asbestos, your exposure has been very minimal unless there is more to the story. It sounds like you are getting some very bad information and advice from somewhere. Your chances of getting cancer filling up your car with gas is greater than what you have described here.
June 27th, 2010 at 4:56 amInteresting that Worksafe would publish such a video after receiving a stack of claims from Van Drydock workers, for being continuously exposed to asbestos on several ferry refits. Btw, Worksafe is changing their policy to cover only those who have suffered exposure for more than 5 years. In other words, they’ll cover me, but not the guy working beside me!
June 27th, 2010 at 5:05 amUnfortunately, for you, you own the property so clean up is your responsibility.
June 27th, 2010 at 5:17 amIf the architect or contractor had found asbestos at the start, you would have had to pay for the removal.
From your description, their errors did not cost you anything beyond the cost of the removal.
Don't you just hate it when you get hit in the pocketbook really hard?
this asbesto’s stuff is it also in dust around the home, when u don’t clean for a while, is it in sheds, cupboards, public transport
this sounds like scary shit man, i wasnt even aware of this till someone mentioned the other week to me
June 27th, 2010 at 5:44 am@darklordofspawn even if it was, your not a walking dead man:) most people of the last generation were subjected to asbestos atleast once. doesnt mean your gonna die.
June 27th, 2010 at 3:38 pmwell…i guess its too late for me -__-
June 27th, 2010 at 4:08 pmi drilled a hole in my roof and all this weird stuff just fell out like snow. and there particles were flying around everywhere, they stayed in the air for ages, i tried not to breath but i guess i was breathing as i was drilling so…
i hope it wasnt asbestos….
You can call the health board in your area..this is totally illegal..By law a removal of this sort should be done only by trained and licensed asbestos ebatement teams…They canot legally do this..If it is already done the health board will perform the necessary tests and also make them pay for any removal if you show signs of it in your yard, along with more than likely a heavy fine…Asbestos si usually not harmless unless airborne in a dust form etcetera, but by burning it I would say this put some airborne and into the enviroment
June 27th, 2010 at 4:57 pmIf you are unsure what to look for, call a local inspector to help decifer for you. This is not something to take a chance on. This is serious stuff and should not be looked at finding the cheapest way out. good luck and make good decisions.
June 27th, 2010 at 11:45 pmYou've probably not got anything to worry about. Assuming your office(s) have a drop ceiling, they'll simply lift out several panels to run the signal wires.
If not a drop ceiling, small holes (1/4" or smaller) will be drilled to chase the wires.
If it concerns you that much, you could wear a face mask like medical personnel use or take personal days while the work is done.
Good luck…
June 28th, 2010 at 6:54 am@deighton200 No, inhaling talk won’t kill you, but I wouldn’t advise making a habit of it!… only industrial talc has been found to contain asbestos… and even then only very minor amounts.
June 29th, 2010 at 1:36 amNearly every house built before 1960 has asbestos in it somewhere. Asbestos was a commonly used product at that time, due to its fire resistance capabilities. It is not illegal to have asbestos in a home and/or rental property, and it is not dangerous as long as it is 'encapsulated', such as in exterior asbestos siding or interior floor tiles.
June 29th, 2010 at 4:19 amit is like the russian roulette, You may also outlive it.
June 29th, 2010 at 7:32 amThey even say that if the fiber was big enough and didn’t attach to the soft tissue of your lungs the lung sistem may remove it and you’r safe.
But neverless, avoid asbestos.
here many people worked with asbestos, (belgium land of asbestos) uncluding me gope i get to be 75 over 43 years from now.
I am certified in asbestos abatement. Chances are , unless your house is very very old, it does not contain asbestos. You ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT REMOVE THIS.. it will kill you slowly. Mesothelioma and Asbestosis are a terrible way to die. A single asbestos fiber which is air-born will float in a room indefinitely without coming down. These fibers need to be contained and vacuumed up with special filters. If I found that my apartment had this substance in it I WOULD MOVE TODAY!! So if you own this it may be worth investigating… but it will be very costly to remove if it is Asbestos. But, I would bet on it , that is isn't.
June 29th, 2010 at 5:40 pm@ilopol Shouldn’t Use It At All
June 29th, 2010 at 11:38 pmThe removal of asbestos here in the midwest is an extremely expensive operation! I couldn't even begin to imagine what it will cost in CA! BTW, In Indiana, if there is asbestos in a home and a person is selling it, and the financing is FHA, the asbestos must be removed by the seller.
I would think that the cost of removing the asbestos would be a deal breaker, for sure!
June 29th, 2010 at 11:48 pmIf the tiles are in good condition, why not put the hardwood on top of them.
June 29th, 2010 at 11:50 pmI presume the previous tenants never had a problem with the floor.
@deighton200 no talc wont kill but if you inhaled loads of it it might give you breathing problems but it wont kill you
June 30th, 2010 at 10:26 ami inhaled talc with my freinds as a dare is it going to kill me?
June 30th, 2010 at 1:31 pmHello there, it’s a interesting article!
August 27th, 2010 at 7:11 am