About Asbestos

• What is Asbestos? – Asbestos is the name used for a range of natural minerals. There are three main types (although Asbestos can not be identified by its colour alone) :

White (Chrysotile) Brown (Amosite) Blue (Crocidolite)

Ak-Dovurak Asbestos Mine in Russia

• The mineral has several desirable qualities which include durability, strength, weatherproof resistance, chemical resistance and heat resistance. For this reason, Asbestos has been used in the past in a wide variety of different products, many of which have been used on buildings and in the Construction Industry. All types of Asbestos can be dangerous.

• Why is it dangerous? – Asbestos is made up of thin fibres. These can be broken down further into smaller and thinner fibres. The smallest of which can not be seen with the naked eye but can be breathed in. All Asbestos types are only dangerous if made airborne and inhaled. The fibres that are breathed in can become stuck in the lungs and potentially damage them. This damage can manifest itself as lung scaring (asbestosis) or as various cancers. These diseases can take from 15 to 60 years to develop and there is no cure for any of them.

Asbestos Fibres under a microscope

Raw Asbestos

• Asbestos was used extensively in the building and construction industries from the 1930’s up until the 1980’s where upon it was gradually phased out. It was most heavily used during the 60’s and 70’s. Some of the most common types of product are listed below:

• Loose Packing – between floors and partition walls.
• Sprayed “Limpet” fire insulation – on structural beams and girders.
• Lagging – on pipework, boilers, calorifiers, heat exchangers, insulating jackets for cold water tanks, hot water cylinders, etc.
• Asbestos Insulation Board (AIB) – ceiling tiles, partition walls, soffits, service duct covers, fire breaks, heater cupboards, door panels, lift shaft linings, fire surrounds, etc.
• Asbestos Cement (AC) – roof sheeting, wall cladding, walls and ceilings, bath panels, boiler and incinerator flues, fire surrounds, gutters, rainwater pipes, water tanks, etc.
• Other Products – Floor tiles, mastics, sealants, textured decorative coatings (such as artex), rope seals, gaskets (eg. Pipework), millboards, paper products, fire doors, cloth (eg. Fire blankets, gloves), Bituminous products (roofing felt)

It is important to remember – The extent to which how dangerous the Asbestos is;  depends on the type of Asbestos, the type of material that it is found in, the condition of the material and how likely the material is to be disturbed.