Asbestos - Frequently Asked Questions/Interesting Facts

A Brief History of Asbestos

The word asbestos originates from around 4000BC (from the Greek meaning unquenchable). During this period it was used for wicks in candles & lamps.

Around 2500BC asbestos was used to wrap around Egyptian pharaohs to offset the decomposing process. About the same time evidence shows it was used in Finland to give clay pots added strength.

By 1000AD asbestos was being widely used for cremation cloths, mats & temple lamp wicks by the Mediterranean’s

During the early 1700s the first asbestos paper & boards were made. (Italy)

In the mid 19th century asbestos helmets & jackets were being worn by fire-fighters in France & insulation, packing's & gaskets were being made from asbestos.

It was during the 1870’s the asbestos industry really took off with the founding of large asbestos companies in England, Scotland & Germany. Also in Russia & Canada where large deposits of chrysotile (white asbestos) were exploited.

As long ago as 1897 the first bronchial problems were identified.

During the first quarter of the 20th century the first asbestos pipes & corrugated sheeting arrived on the scene.

In 1931 the Asbestos regulations were passed in the U. K.

Asbestos was beginning to crop up everywhere. In the 1939 film "The wizard of oz" the wicked witch of the west's broom was made out of asbestos.

Fireproof suits & parachute flares in World War II were asbestos based.

The post war rebuilding & construction projects placed heavy reliance on asbestos & its usage reached an all time high in 1973. From the mid 1970s its use in new products declined rapidly. Since 1992 it has been illegal to use asbestos to make new products in the U. K. In 1999 the selling & fixing of asbestos containing materials (ACMs) in the UK was banned.

A conservative estimate puts the amount of Asbestos still in British buildings at over 1 million tonnes

What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral which has been used in a variety of useful products for hundreds of years since Roman times. It is found throughout the world including Africa, Australia, Canada, Russia, the United States of America and China.

Between the 1950’s and 1980’s, asbestos was used in substantial amounts of building projects, products and materials. In addition, most buildings constructed or refurbished within this time period are extremely likely to include ACM’s, particularly in buildings constructed using steel frames. Steel frames were often coated with asbestos spray for fire protection.

One of the main reasons why asbestos was so popular and widely used was its versatility and cheap production/importation. Asbestos has various useful properties including the following:

Resistance to electricity, heat and fire giving asbestos ideal fire-proofing capabilities and insulating properties.
Fibres can be mixed with cement or woven into fabric or mats.
Asbestos will not rot or burn and is relatively impervious to any weather effects, some acids and to vermin.
Asbestos has a desirable high tensile strength and flexibility.

Why is asbestos dangerous?
Breathing in air containing asbestos fibres can lead to asbestos-related diseases, mainly cancers of the lungs and chest lining. Asbestos is only a risk to health if asbestos fibres are released into the air and breathed in. Past exposure to asbestos currently kills 3500 people a year in Great Britain. This number is expected to go on rising for the next ten years. There is no cure for asbestos-related diseases. There is usually a long delay between first exposure to asbestos and the onset of disease. This can vary from 15 to 60 years. Only by preventing or minimising these exposures now will asbestos-related disease eventually be wiped out.

There are three main types of asbestos still found in premises. These are commonly called ‘blue asbestos’ (crocidolite), ‘brown asbestos’ (amosite) and ‘white asbestos’ (chrysotile). All of them are dangerous, but blue and brown asbestos are more hazardous than white. You cannot identify them just by their colour. Although it is now illegal to use asbestos in the construction or refurbishment of any premises, many thousands of tonnes of it were used in the past and much of it is still in place. As long as it is in good condition and is not being or going to be disturbed or damaged there is no risk. But if it is disturbed or damaged, it can become a danger to health, because asbestos fibres are released into the air and people can breathe them in.

Who is at risk?
Anyone who uses your premises, who disturbs asbestos that has deteriorated orhas been damaged and is releasing fibres, can be at risk. They may all breathe in asbestos fibres during their day-to-day work.

It is now thought possible that repeated low exposures, such as those which could occur during routine repair work, may also lead to cancers.

The scientific evidence on exactly what exposures cause disease is unclear. But we do know the more asbestos fibres breathed in, the greater the risk to health. That is why it is important that ACM’s are identified and that everyone who works with them should take precautions.

Where is asbestos found in buildings?
Some ACM’s are more vulnerable to damage and more likely to give off fibres than others. In general, the materials which contain a high percentage of asbestos are more easily damaged. The list below is roughly in order of ease of fibre release (with the highest potential fibre release first). Sprayed coatings, lagging and insulating board are more likely to contain blue or brown asbestos. Asbestos insulation and lagging can contain up to 85% asbestos and are most likely to give off fibres. Work with asbestos insulating board can result in equally high fibre release if power tools are used. On the other hand, asbestos cement contains only 10%-15% asbestos. The asbestos is tightly bound into the cement and the material will only give off fibres if it is badly damaged or broken.

You are most likely to come across asbestos in these materials:

Sprayed asbestos and asbestos loose packing - generally used as fire breaks in ceiling voids;
Moulded or preformed lagging - generally used in thermal insulation of pipes and boilers;
Sprayed asbestos - generally used as fire protection in ducts, firebreaks, panels, partitions, soffit boards, ceiling panels and around structural steel work;
Insulating boards used for fire protection, thermal insulation, partitioning and ducts;
Some ceiling tiles;
Millboard, paper and paper products used for insulation of electrical equipment. Asbestos paper has also been used as a fire-proof facing on wood fibreboard;
Asbestos cement products, which can be fully or semi-compressed into flat or corrugated sheets. Corrugated sheets are largely used as roofing and wall cladding. Other asbestos cement products include gutters, rainwater pipes and water tanks;
Certain textured coatings;
Bitumen roofing material; and
Vinyl or thermoplastic floor tiles.

What is new about the duty to manage asbestos?
A new duty to manage asbestos has been added to the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations. It will apply to you if you have maintenance and repair responsibilities for non-domestic premises either through a contract or tenancy agreement or because you own the premises. The duty will require you to manage the risk from asbestos by:

Finding out if there is asbestos in the premises, its amount and what condition it is in;
Presuming materials contain asbestos, unless you have strong evidence that they do not;
Making and keeping up to date a record of the location and condition of the ACMs or presumed ACMs in your premises;
Assessing the risk from the material;
Preparing a plan that sets out in detail how you are going to manage the risk from this material;
Taking the steps needed to put your plan into action;
Reviewing and monitoring your plan and the arrangements made to put it in place; and
Providing information on the location and condition of the material to anyone who is liable to work on or disturb it.

Anyone who has information on the whereabouts of asbestos in your premises is required to make this available to you as the dutyholder. Those who are not dutyholders, but control access to the premises, would have to co-operate with you in managing the asbestos.