How to stop worrying about asbestos
06/02/2024
It can be distressing to find out that your home or rental may contain asbestos, a toxic substance commonly used until the 1980s in construction materials. Despite this, it is important to remain calm and evaluate what risk is immediately posed if you do have asbestos-containing materials in your home. If there is an asbestos product in your home which is in good condition and undisturbed, this is NOT immediately dangerous. Asbestos only poses a danger to human health if it is disturbed and made airborne. Asbestos was fully banned from further use in 1999, however many homes built before 1999 are likely to contain asbestos.
What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that is highly durable and was much valued by the construction industry for its fire-resistant, insulating and friction-resistant properties. It was mass-produced throughout the 1930s to 1980s and was generally regarded as a wonder material for its versatility and low cost. However, suspicions around the safety of the product began to surface as early as the 1950s as workers of asbestos typically reported ill health and higher mortality rates than workers in other sectors. Unfortunately, the children of asbestos workers would also go on to develop various health issues as a result of second-hand exposure to the material. It is currently estimated that around half of all UK homes built prior to the 1999 ban date contain asbestos products. Fear of asbestos, or ‘asbestos anxiety’, is a perfectly natural response to the idea of asbestos being present in your home. So it’s important to understand what it is and how you can reduce its risk so you rest easy knowing your home is safe.
So what is asbestos made of?
What we refer to as Asbestos is a group of six naturally occurring minerals
- Chrysotile (White asbestos)
- Amosite (Brown asbestos)
- Tremolite asbestos
- Actinolite asbestos
- Anthophyllite asbestos
- Crocidolite (Blue asbestos)
These minerals are thin, almost needle-like-looking fibres. These asbestos fibres are extremely strong and versatile for many purposes in construction and manufacturing. However, these materials are extremely dangerous to human health under certain circumstances. It is important to remember that the risk of asbestos is situational. This means that the material is safe as long as it is not damaged or disturbed.
What are the dangers of asbestos?
When cut, moved, dropped or shaken, asbestos materials can release ultra-fine fibres into the air. These fibres are so fine they bypass the lung’s natural defences and rest permanently deep within the lungs. Over time, these fibres can lead to scarring and trouble breathing. Cancer and Mesothelioma are very real risks when asbestos exposure occurs. The exact quantity of exposure needed for health issues to arise is not yet determined, however there is some evidence that even a single exposure event can lead to individuals developing health issues in the following decades.
Cancers associated with asbestos
Asbestos can cause a variety of health conditions but unfortunately, cancer is one of the most lethal. This occurs as a result of genetic damage within the lung as your body tries to remove the asbestos fibres from within the lung. Since asbestos does not degrade under our boodies defences and is so fine that it can bury itself deep within lung tissue, it is unfortunately not currently possible to clear the lungs of asbestos fibers once inhaled. This means they can sit in your lungs for decades and eventually result in cancers such as lung cancer and Mesothelioma. Second-hand exposure to asbestos fibres can also cause Mesothelioma to develop decades after initial exposure. This is particularly distressing for family members of those working with asbestos materials as symptoms usually only show decades later with little recollection of exposure. Only 5% of patients survive Mesothelioma 5 years after a diagnosis. As with many other cancers, detection prior to symptoms emerging usually results in the best survival outcomes for those diagnosed. If you or someone you know has been possibly exposed to asbestos, it is recommended that you inform your GP who may plan to monitor your lung health over time.
Why does asbestos exposure take so long to cause symptoms?
Asbestos exposure normally won’t cause any noticeable symptoms after exposure. In fact most of us breathe in ultra-low amounts of asbestos in the air we breathe every day. However, when these materials concentrate in the lungs as a result of dust inhalation, it can be a ticking time bomb for your health. In some cases, asbestos won’t cause noticeable lung damage until 20 or even 50 years after inhalation, so why does this happen?
The ultra-fine asbestos fibres nestle themselves deep in lung tissue and are never completely removed. As the lungs try over the years to remove these foreign bodies from your system, they scar themselves and eventually may even develop a type of asbestos-related cancer called Mesothelioma. Even if cancer doesn’t occur due to genetic damage, Asbestosis is still a very real condition in which the scarring of the lungs causes breathing difficulties which worsen as the fibres remain in the lungs over years. There is currently no cure for these conditions.
When do I need to worry about asbestos?
Asbestos can commonly be found in places such as roofing and sidings, walls, ceilings, insulating and behind tiles. If undisturbed, this material poses no danger to your health. But once the material is moved or damaged in some way, fine debris can remain airborne for up to 72 hours and easily inhaled.
What does asbestos look like?
Whilst asbestos products in the home will typically have a fibrous, white fluffy appearance when damaged, the material can take on many different forms and appearances. For example, white brown and blue are all common colours for asbestos along with a clumped, neddle-like texture texture in their raw form. It can be compacted for walls as well as distributed loosely for insulation in ceilings for example. In short, if you are in doubt whether a suspect material is asbestos, a test will be required to know for sure. These can be done by either calling in a professional service or ordering your own testing site from one of the many online labs in the UK. These testing kits will allow you to take a sample of the material with instructions in order to securely package and send it to a lab for analysis. They will then be able to confirm the presence of asbestos in your property.
Typical locations for asbestos to be found in pre-1990s UK housing
- Roof tiles
- Flooring tiles
- Electrical panels
- Window Cills
- Cladding
- Asbestos Cement used for walling
- Sink Pads
- Pipes
- Insulation
- Early 20th century paints
What to do if your home has asbestos
If your home is confirmed to have asbestos present how you proceed will largely depend on the situation. If the materials are undisturbed and undamaged, it is usually best to leave them be. Certainly it is not recommended to try and remove the product yourself as this can be extremely dangerous and risk exposing nearby properties. If you have materials in your property which are damaged and could be causing asbestos to circulate in the air, you are advised to vacate the property as soon as possible. Contact a qualified asbestos inspector or surveyor in order to evaluate the situation. Some of the common recommendations for dealing with asbestos contamination involve.
- Removal – Removal of the asbestos-containing material under very strict guidelines, your inspector can fill you in of these details if needed.
- Encapsulation – If the material can be sealed in an encapsulating coating, this may be a safer alternative to removal in some circumstances. This will contain the material from releasing fine fibres into the air.
Above all DO NOT DISTURB the material containing asbestos. It is safer to leave it undisturbed until a professional plan is in place.
Will my home insurance cover asbestos removal?
Unfortunately, asbesto removal is considered preventative maintenance and so usually won’t be covered by your home insurance policy. However, if your home is exposed to asbestos damage as a result of an insurable event such as fire, storm or vandalism, this is usually a notable exception. Some specialised home insurance policies may allow for limited asbesto removal operation but this is best confirmed with them individually.
- Contact your insurer immediately and explain the situation
- Organise a profesional consutation
- Don’t attempt self-removal
What to do if I live in a rental with asbestos?
If you suspect there is asbestos in your rental property and it is disturbed and poses a risk to human health, it is important to remember your rights. Your landlord is obligated to supply a home that is fit for habitation and must rectify any issues within a reasonable timeframe. A local council can take action against your landlord if safety hazards render the property unsafe. Since you can’t sue a negligent landlord for asbestos-related illness usually until a few decades after exposure and symptoms arise, it’s best to confirm the presence of asbestos and raise this with the landlord asap. If they do not cooperate they will likely be guilty of negligence and you can consult your local council or citizens advice for how to proceed against your landlord and rectify the issue.
How much does it cost to remove asbestos from a property?
The full cost of asbestos removal can cost around £1000 on average in the UK according to Armco Asbestos Training. The average cost of removing asbestos roughly works out to over £50 per square meter. Basic reboarding of areas with removed asbestos can cost around £400.
Can I sue the council for asbestos?
It is possible to make a claim against a council if you develop asbestos-related illnesses or conditions as a result of asbestos exposure in your council property. It is not illegal for buildings built prior to the 1999 ban to contain asbestos. However, if the property landlord, regardless of who they are, is informed of the presence of asbestos and refuses to act by either removal or containment, then they are breaking the law.
Why you should only worry about asbestos within reason
Asbestos can sound terrifying and in many ways it is, however it is important to remember that the hysteria around asbestos in UK housing is often unwarranted. Firstly the material needs to be disturbed to become airborne, meaning that is safe to remain in your home so long as there is no real risk of it becoming damaged or disturbed. If you also are exposed to asbestos without any personal protection equipment, don’t panic. Remove all contaminated clothing and shower and wash any dust from your body. Inhalation of asbestos is not a guarantee that you will develop a later condition in future, however it is still dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. If your property has asbestos that may be releasing fibres into the air, arrange alternative accommodation ASAP and organise a professional asbestos survey.
Asbestos is also still used in many countries around the world and can be found in very small amounts in the air we breathe every day. This does not make the substance safe but it is a reminder you will never be able to completely shield yourself from the substance, so it’s important to not worry excessively about whether you are being exposed.
Prevention is the best form of defence against asbestos-related issues, so it is recommended that you take proactive measures to find out whether your home may have it and determine if removal or containment is the best action moving forward. Doing this before any potential exposure or damage arises is your best way of ensuring good health and reducing the risk posed to yourself and your family. Be sure to consult a professional service when handling any suspect materials and never attempt asbestos removal by yourself.
For further information on asbestos removal and disposal, refer to the official government webpage here.
Get asbestos removal insurance here
This article is intended as generic information only and is not intended to apply to anybody’s specific circumstances, demands or needs. The views expressed are not intended to provide any financial service or to give any recommendation or advice. Products and services are only mentioned for illustrative rather than promotional purposes.
References:
*https://www.armco.org.uk/asbestos-survey-news/asbestos-in-homes-uk/ **https://www.stoneasbestos.co.uk/asbestos/asbestos-in-buildings/ ***https://myurbanjungle.com/explore/blog/absestos-in-houses-uk/