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More about asbestos

Absestos can be found in some older homes. It is not dangerous as long as it is left alone.

Where is asbestos found?

Asbestos materials have been put to many uses over the past century.

The importation and use of blue and brown asbestos has been banned by law since 1985. In 1999 the importation, supply and use of white asbestos was also banned with the exception of a few specialised uses where there is no suitable substitute available. many thousands of tonnes of asbestos were used in buildings in the past. Much of this is still there and you cannot easily identify it from its appearance.

Its most common uses were:

• loose asbestos packing between floors and in partition walls
• sprayed ('limpet') asbestos on structural beams and girders
• lagging, such as on pipework and boilers, calorifiers, heat exchangers
• asbestos insulating board such as in ceiling tiles, partition walls, service duct covers, fire breaks, heater cupboards, door panels, lift shafts linings, fire surrounds and softits
• asbestos cement products such as roof and wall cladding, bath panels, boiler flues, fire surrounds, gutters, rainwater pipes and water tanks
• other products such as floor tiles, sealants, decorative coatings, rope seals and gaskets (in pipework), paper products, cloth (fire blankets) and bituminous products (roofing felt).
  

Why can products with asbestos in them be dangerous?

The best advice is to avoid coming into contact with asbestos fibres. This means that you should not attempt any DIY removal of asbestos. If you are a council tenant and you suspect asbestos, contact our Asbestos Team who will arrange for one of our Asbestos Officers to have a look at the item. If you are not one of our tenants, you need to call in a firm who specialises in the removal of this type of item. Details will be in the yellow pages and other similar publications.

Asbestos-related diseases are currently responsible for about 3000 deaths a year in Great Britain. These diseases can take from 15 to 60 years to develop, from first exposure, so you would not be aware of any sudden change in your health after breathing in asbestos fibres.

Many of those suffering today from asbestos-related diseases worked in the building maintenance trades. They were carpenters, shopfitters, plumbers, electricians, gas service engineers etc. They were exposed to asbestos fibres in their day-to-day work with asbestos materials or because work with asbestos was carried out near them.