It’s likely you’ve heard the word asbestos but if you’re a new homebuyer or purchasing commercial property, it’s important that you understand what asbestos is and how to deal with it should it be present on your premises.
What is asbestos?
Asbestos is an umbrella term for a group of naturally occurring minerals composed of microscopic, flexible fibres that are found near the Earth’s surface. Asbestos is then mined by removing the top layer of the earth to mine ore at the surface.
Asbestos was widely used in construction for flooring, roofing and insulation up until 2000. Mined asbestos would be milled, fiberized and graded so that asbestos fibres could be used for industry. Asbestos fibres are an effective insulator so they were typically mixed into cement, plastic and other materials to make them stronger. There were a number of benefits of using asbestos due to it being heat, fire and chemical resistant as well as unlikely to biologically degrade and would not dissolve in water, however, these didn’t outweigh a major drawback that exposure to asbestos caused serious health problems.
Why is asbestos harmful?
Asbestos is harmful to humans if it is inhaled or ingested, with long term effects including internal scarring, genetic damage and sometimes lung disease known as Asbestosis or Mesthelioma, an aggressive cancer. For this reason, the use of asbestos has been phased out in most industries and directerives including the EU Directive on exposure to asbestos (Directive 2009/148/EC) and UK’s Control of Asbestos Regulations 2021 have been implemented.
How to avoid danger caused by asbestos?
Due to regulations brought in in the 2000s, the important, supply and use of asbestos is banned in the UK however there are buildings and old equipment that may still contain Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM). Below is a list of ways you can protect against asbestos:
- Complete an Asbestos Survey, this is a legal requirement for commercial buildings and is typically included in Homebuyer’s Surveys, if it isn’t, you’ll need to find an experienced professional who can carry out an Asbestos Management Survey.
- Monitor identified asbestos to reduce it’s impact if it becomes damaged or deteriorates. If your survey identifies asbestos, you should work with the surveyors to create a management plan.
- Never touch asbestos, asbestos removal should be handled by a licensed contractor and any ACMs should be disposed of correctly by a licensed disposal site. Check your local council for help on handling asbestos waste.
If your new property was built before 2000 it’s likely that there will be traces of asbestos so it’s important to work with an experienced surveyor to carry out a Management Survey. If your property is going to be refurbished or demolished, you’ll need a Refurbishment and Demolition Survey so that the site can be marked as ‘fit for reoccupation’ before work can be carried out. Our certified, experienced team at Blue Star Asbestos are on hand to offer a competent, trustworthy service, contact us to find out more.
