Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral and has been in use for thousands of years.

It has been used in buildings because it is cheap, strong, flexible, lightweight and is resistant to heat, noise, electricity, chemical attack and corrosion and is hardwearing – making it the ideal material to mix with other materials to produce cement roof and wall sheets, guttering, drain pipes, water tanks, cement tiles, insulating boards as cladding, partition, boxing panels and ceiling tiles. It can be woven into fire blankets and rope seals in electrical installations. It is used in friction materials such as brake and clutch components, and has been used as a filtering agent in gas masks and in the drugs, food and drinks industries. It can be found in floor tiles, bitumen floor tiles adhesives, battery boxes, packaging, fillers and gaskets and even toilet cisterns! One of the most common uses for asbestos was as insulation to pipework used for heating buildings.


The asbestos family has several members and the most widely used types are described here & shown to the right.



  • Chrysotile is known as white asbestos, a quarryman’s term for its appearance when it is first mined.
  • Amosite is commonly referred to as brown asbestos and derives its name from the Asbestos Mines Of South Africa.
  • Crocidolite is known as blue asbestos, again because of it’s appearance when it is first mined.


However, colour is nothing to go by when it comes to identifying materials which contain asbestos fibres. The asbestos fibres take on the colour of the host materials with which they are mixed and in many cases, as with asbestos insulating board which has been widely used in the production of ceiling tiles, wall, partition, boxing, cladding and backing panels, the finished product is then sealed and painted making it impossible to merely visually differentiate asbestos containing materials from non-asbestos containing materials.

 

Asbestos was extensively used as a building material in the UK from the 1950s through to the mid-1980s. It was used for a variety of purposes and was ideal for fireproofing and insulation. Any building built before 2000 (houses, factories, offices, schools, hospitals etc) can contain asbestos. Asbestos materials in good condition are safe unless asbestos fibres become airborne, which happens when materials are damaged.

 

Why is asbestos dangerous?

 

Whilst asbestos has been in use for thousands of years it was only in the past 120 years or so that asbestos containing materials were produced on an industrial scale, with the peak of manufacturing occurring during the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s.

It’s very important to note that the range of asbestos containing products varies enormously in terms of it’s potential to release respirable airborne fibres.

 

Asbestos fibres are present in the environment in Great Britain so people are exposed to very low levels of fibres. However, a key factor in the risk of developing an asbestos-related disease is the total number of fibres breathed in. Working on or near damaged asbestos-containing materials or breathing in high levels of asbestos fibres, which may be many hundreds of times that of environmental levels could increase your chances of getting an asbestos-related disease.

When these fibres are inhaled they can cause serious diseases which are responsible for around 4000 deaths a year. There are three main diseases caused by asbestos: mesothelioma (which is always fatal), lung cancer (almost always fatal) and asbestosis (not always fatal, but it can be very debilitating).

Remember, these diseases will not affect you immediately but later on in life, so there is a need for you to protect yourself now to prevent you contracting an asbestos-related disease in the future. It is also important to remember that people who smoke and are also exposed to asbestos fibres are at a much greater risk of developing lung cancer.

 

Why is asbestos dangerous for human health?


Asbestos fibers are extremely thin and easily air-borne so that human beings could inhale it easily. Once air-borne asbestos fibers are inhaled, they remain in the lung and may cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis.


I might have inhaled asbestos before. Would it cause any problem?

A part of asbestos inhaled into the human body would be eliminated from the body, by being mixed into phlegm as a foreign body. However, it is said that, in case that you inhale a large amount of asbestos or a large asbestos fragment, they would remain in your lung. If you inhale a large amount of asbestos over a long period of time, it can pose a higher risk. If you are extremely concerned about the risk, please visit nearby specialized medical institutions such as workmen’s compensation hospitals.
We recommend those who are dealing with, or have dealt with asbestos to go for a medical examination regularly. Please also note that a business owner is required by the Industrial Safety and Health Law to let workers engaging in scraping or repairing buildings which contain asbestos undergo a medical examination.

 

 

Who is at risk of asbestos exposure?


The construction trades most at risk from asbestos are insulators, plumbers, pipefitters, electricians, sheet metal workers, roofers, bricklayers, painters, and steel workers. Any construction worker may be exposed occur during maintenance, remodeling, renovation or demolition of older buildings.

 

 

Where can I find Asbestos and when can it be a problem?

 

Most products made today do not contain asbestos. Those few products made which still contain asbestos that could be inhaled are required to be labeled as such. However, until the 1970s, many types of building products and insulation materials used in homes contained asbestos. Common products that might have contained asbestos in the past, and conditions which may release fibers, include:

  • STEAM PIPES, BOILERS, and FURNACE DUCTS insulated with an asbestos blanket or asbestos paper tape. These materials may release asbestos fibers if damaged, repaired, or removed improperly.

  • RESILIENT FLOOR TILES (vinyl asbestos, asphalt, and rubber), the backing on VINYL SHEET FLOORING, and ADHESIVES used for installing floor tile. Sanding tiles can release fibers. So may scraping or sanding the backing of sheet flooring during removal.

  • CEMENT SHEET, MILLBOARD, and PAPER used as insulation around furnaces and woodburning stoves. Repairing or removing appliances may release asbestos fibers. So may cutting, tearing, sanding, drilling or sawing insulation.

  • DOOR GASKETS in furnaces, wood stoves, and coal stoves. Worn seals can release asbestos fibers during use.

  • SOUNDPROOFING OR DECORATIVE MATERIAL sprayed on walls and ceilings. Loose, crumbly, or water-damaged material may release fibers. So will sanding, drilling or scraping the material.

  • PATCHING AND JOINT COMPOUNDS for walls and ceilings, and TEXTURED PAINTS. Sanding, scraping, or drilling these surfaces may release asbestos.

  • ASBESTOS CEMENT ROOFING, SHINGLES, and SIDING. These products are not likely to release asbestos fibers unless sawed, drilled or cut.

  • ARTIFICIAL ASHES AND EMBERS sold for use in gas-fired fireplaces. Also, other older household products such as FIREPROOF GLOVES, STOVE-TOP PADS, IRONING BOARD COVERS, and certain HAIRDRYERS.

  • AUTOMOBILE BRAKE PADS AND LININGS, CLUTCH FACINGS, and GASKETS.

How can you become exposed?


Disturbing asbestos materials may generate airborne asbestos fibers. Asbestos is only dangerous if it becomes airborne. To be a significant health concern, asbestos fibers must be inhaled over an extended period of time. Asbestos fibers then accumulate in the lungs. As exposure increases, the risk of asbestos related diseases also increase. As long as asbestos containing materials are not damaged, the asbestos fibers do not become airborne and do not pose a health threat.