Asbestos – facts, surveys and removal

Asbestos is present in thousands of houses, businesses and public buildings and can kill if damaged or left to deteriorate. So don’t leave it to chance - find out now if you’re at risk from asbestos and what you can do to tackle it.

Asbestos kills around 4,000 people a year

“Asbestos related diseases claim around 4,000 lives every year. Roughly a quarter of these deaths are people in the building trade,” says Sarah Mallagh, from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). That means more people die each year from asbestos exposure than in car accidents. What’s more, because it’s hard to detect, you could be breathing in asbestos without even knowing it.

What is asbestos?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring silicate mineral which was used in building materials and for fire protection and insulation during the 1930’s onwards. Although the use of asbestos materials was banned in 1999, any home built before 2000 and over 500,000 non-domestic buildings could still contain asbestos, warns the HSE.

If left alone, asbestos can be harmless if maintained and checked regularly. However, if disturbed or left to deteriorate, it can give off poisonous fumes which can cause fatal mesothelimoma, lung cancer or other respiratory diseases. Diseases usually occur many years later and often effect tradesmen who worked with asbestos some 30 or 40 years ago before the risks were known - as Greg Haywood from the HSE points out: “Asbestos is Britain’s biggest industrial killer.”

Where is asbestos found?

It can be hard to spot, but materials containing asbestos include:

• Cement, particularly in walls
  
• Insulation boards, cavity wall insulation and loft insulation
  
• Floor and ceiling tiles
• Roofs, pipes and gutters
• Flues, ventilation systems and ducts
• Partition walls and under floors

Asbestos surveys

If you think your home may contain asbestos, commission a survey, especially if you’re planning refurbishments. The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 state that owners of non-domestic buildings should be responsible for maintaining asbestos – which means regular surveys. As MP Paul Rowen points out: “We have already seen too many deaths as a result of poor asbestos management.”

There are two types of asbestos survey, a standard management survey and a refurbishment and demolition survey which must be carried out before any renovations are done. Both are designed to locate and record the location, amount and type of asbestos present, report on the condition of asbestos and its accessibility. Surveyors will normally send samples to a lab for testing.

Removing asbestos

Asbestos removal should be
carried out by a professional

If you need asbestos removed, the Control of Asbestos Regulations state that you should hire a qualified asbestos remover. You can carry out minor work on asbestos materials like drilling a hole in asbestos cement yourself following guidelines – but if you have any doubt hire a trained asbestos remover who will:

• Use hand tools instead of electric ones
• Wear the correct mask and protective clothing
• Clean as they go with a special vacuum
• Dispose of asbestos materials, waste and contaminated clothing correctly – in double sealed bags

Asbestos contractors

According to the HSE it is important that asbestos surveys be carried out by competent professionals with the correct training, qualifications, insurance and knowledge. The surveyor or asbestos company must be accredited to ISO/IEC 17020 or 17024. Using a contractor registered with a scheme like the Asbestos Building Inspectors Certification Scheme (ABICS) or Asbestos Training and Consultancy (ATAC) is a good idea. “Clients can have confidence that accredited surveyors will provide a quality service,” says Rob Bettinson of the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

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