FAQ
Asbestos is the name given to a set of six mined silicate minerals that occur naturally. Some of these minerals are actinolite, amosite, anthophyllite, chrysotile, crocidolite, and tremolite.
Although asbestos is currently banned in the UK due to the dangers it causes, it was once employed in buildings for insulation, flooring, and roofing due to its resistance to heat, fire, and electricity, making it a supposedly ideal material to improve building safety.
All varieties of asbestos were permissible in the UK prior to 1985, and it is now most commonly found in pipe insulation, building insulation, and roofing.
We would never recommend testing for asbestos unless you are an accredited specialist, but testing for asbestos does not require an asbestos licence.
Yes, a risk assessment must be completed before any asbestos-related work may begin.
A professional asbestos expert with knowledge and skills in asbestos must conduct the risk assessment.
The risk assessment should be completed early enough to allow for the appropriate protections to be put in place before the asbestos removal process begins.
Although asbestos was frequently employed in the construction industry for pipe and wall insulation, as well as roofing materials, it was also widely used in other industries, including –
Cloth, rope, and thread made of asbestos
Cement sheets and roof tiles containing asbestos
Wallboards
Tiles for the Ceiling
Furnaces and Ovens
Hairdryers
Irons
Covers for ironing boards
Toasters
Pads for stovetops
Brake pads and brake pad linings are two types of brake pads.
Faces of clutches
Tiles for the Floor
Sealants and Mastics
Cisterns for toilets
Planters and fence posts
Asbestos exposure has no safe level. When asbestos is inhaled, much of it gets caught in the mucous membranes of the nose and throat, preventing it from reaching the lungs, where it becomes a health hazard. The diseases associated with asbestos, such as asbestosis and mesothelioma, don't appear until many years after exposure to asbestos.
When asbestos is breathed into the lungs in quantities greater than typical (most people inhale small amounts of asbestos all the time), it can develop asbestosis and mesothelioma. The greater the amount of asbestos breathed into the lungs, the greater the danger of acquiring certain diseases.
In general, there is no safe threshold of asbestos exposure; nevertheless, the effects of asbestos inhalation take 20 to 30 years to manifest.
Mesothelioma is a type of lung cancer that grows within the pleural membrane, which is a space between the lining of the lungs and the inside of the ribs.
As the cancer cells develop it causes the pleural membrane to thicken, making it harder to breathe.