Can Asbestos Still Be A Threat To Human Health?

According to a UK survey concerning the dangers of asbestos – almost half assume that asbestos is a thing of the past.  It was banned in the 1990’s, but thousands of tonnes of the stuff still lurks in many public buildings – such as schools, (13,000 in the UK), workplaces, and homes.

The average person is not only unaware of how dangerous asbestos is, but unable to identify or recognise it. If the house you live in was built prior to the mid 1980’s then there is a chance that it will contain asbestos as it was commonly used in the building materials as an insulator or fire retardant.

Asbestos Usage In Pre - 1980 Houses

House Exterior

1) Roof tiles and roof felt
2) Gutters and  water pipes
3) Fascia’s

House Interior

4) Inserted in partition walls
5) Panels below windows
6) Box-Ins around domestic boilers
7) Exterior Panels electrical equipment
Exterior Panels fires or heaters
9) Panels on or inside fire doors
10) Bath panels
11) Floor tiles
12) Textured coatings (artex & popcorn)
13) Gaskets and rope seals inside gas appliances
14) Cold water storage tanks

Asbestos is only harmful when it is damaged or friable

Asbestos is not harmful unless it has deteriorated (become friable) as this is when it releases minute fibres into the air. It also releases the most fibres when it is damaged, ie. cut, sawn, sanded, drilled etc, and this is when any unsuspecting person handling asbestos in this way inhales fibres into their lungs.

Most people who have had very light exposure to asbestos inhalation rarely develop an asbestos-related disease such as mesothelioma, but people should avoid any risks associated with inhaling asbestos fibres as there is no concrete scientific evidence that a safe level exists. For advice on how to reduce your risk of asbestos inhalation – more information here:

http://www.mesotheliomalungs.org/how-to-reduce-your-risk-of-asbestos-inhalation

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