Asbestos in the Home
Where you might find asbestos in the home?
Asbestos cement- The use of asbestos cement started in the early 1900s and was only prohibited in Northern Ireland in May 2000. Corrugated asbestos cement has been used extensively as roofing, wall cladding and partitioning. In homes, it will mainly have been used in garages and out-buildings. It has also been used in flat sheet form as infill panels, decorative panels for facings, bath panels, soffits, linings to walls and ceilings, fire surrounds, composite panels for fire protection and weather boarding. |
Asbestos cement corrugated
roof sheeting |
Insulation board - Asbestos insulation was used for fire protection, thermal and acoustic insulation, resistance to moisture movement and general building board. It can be found in service ducts, firebreaks, infill panels, partitions and ceilings (including ceiling tiles), roof underlay, wall linings, external canopies and porch linings.
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Insulation
board on boiler room ceiling
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Flooring - Thermoplastic floor tiles, PVC vinyl floor tiles, unbacked PVC flooring and asbestos paper-backed PVC floors.
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Asbestos
floor tiles
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Textile, rope etc – Asbestos rope/yarn has been used as lagging on pipes, jointing and packing materials, e.g. around windows, and as heat-/fire-resistant boiler, oven and flue sealing. Textile products include fire blankets and oven gloves. Asbestos string has been used for sealing hot water radiators.
Insulation – Asbestos has very occasionally been used as an insulating material in homes for pipes and as loft insulation.
Other products – Textured paint, plaster, ironing boards.
What should you do about asbestos in the home
Asbestos containing material that is in good condition and which is not being disturbed is unlikely to release fibres and should be left undisturbed.
Material which has ragged edges, for example, the edge of an asbestos cement sheet, can usually be sealed using proprietary paint or other sealant.
If the material is in poor condition, or if you need to remove it for other reasons, you should consult professional advice.
In many cases, an experienced building professional can advise on whether a material contains asbestos or not. If you need to have a sample analysed to confirm that it contains asbestos, you should contact an accredited laboratory1 to take the sample for you. If you take the sample yourself, ensure that the material is dampened (use water with washing-up liquid) and that you do not create dust or allow the spread of the material. Clean up afterwards using a damp rag and include the rag with the sample. Contact your chosen laboratory to arrange delivery. There will normally be a charge for this service.
Working with asbestos.
If you intend to undertake a project involving working with an asbestos material, you will need to be very careful not to produce any asbestos dust and to prevent the spread of any asbestos material. The HSE publications listed2 contain guidance on how to carry out a range of tasks involving asbestos material. If you use a contractor, they must be licensed by HSENI if the work involves asbestos insulation, asbestos coating or asbestos insulation board. A list of licensed asbestos contractors is available from the Asbestos Advisory Service (see below).
Non-licensable work may be undertaken by a building contractor, who must take appropriate precautions under the Regulations3. Whatever work you are having done, it is advisable to raise the question of the possible presence of asbestos with the contractor. Anyone planning to undertake work on a building should consider the possibility that asbestos may be present before starting work.
Transporting asbestos
Waste containing asbestos is classified as hazardous waste4, and special conditions apply to transport and disposal. Contractors (or anyone carrying out the work for gain) will require a consignment note5, which is obtainable from the Environment and Heritage Service. A householder does not require a consignment note to carry asbestos waste to a disposal or a holding site, from his own property.
Asbestos material should be double wrapped in heavy-duty plastic sheeting for transport to ensure that there is no possibility of escape of dust or material.
Disposal of asbestos
Asbestos waste may only be disposed of at a site, which has been licensed by the Government to accept it. There are very limited facilities for this in Northern Ireland. Disposal can be arranged through a licensed contractor or by direct contact with the disposal site. The local commercial telephone directory contains contact details.
1 A directory of laboratories accredited to analyse materials for asbestos can be found at http://www.ukas.org.uk/testing/singlesearch.asp
2 Introduction to asbestos essentials: Comprehensive guidance on working with asbestos in the building maintenance and allied trades HSG213 HSE Books 2001 ISBN 0 7176 1901 X, price £12.50.
Asbestos essential: Task guidance sheets for the building maintenance and allied trades HSG210 HSE Books 2001 ISBN 0 7176 1887 0, price £8.50.
3 Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003.
4 Asbestos waste is classified as hazardous waste if it contains 0.1% asbestos or greater. You cannot add other waste to ‘dilute’ the asbestos content of the waste.
5 The Hazardous Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005.
For further information on asbestos contact:
The Asbestos Advisory Service on
Freephone 0800 0320 121
Email: asbestos@detini.gsi.gov.uk, or
www.hseni.gov.uk and click Asbestos Advisory Service, or
The Environmental Health Department, Derry City Council, 02871 365151