Am I At Risk?
Workers involved in refurbishment, maintenance and other similar trades, could be at risk of exposure to asbestos during their work. This includes:
- Heating and ventilation engineers
- Demolition workers
- Carpenters and joiners
- Plumbers
- Roofing contractors
- Painters and decorators
- Plasterers
- Construction workers
- Fire and burglar alarm installers
- Shop fitters
- Gas fitters
- Computer and data installers
- General maintenance staff eg caretakers
- Telecommunications engineers
- Architects, building surveyors, and other such professionals
- Cable layers
- Electricians
This list does not include all occupations at risk from potential exposure to asbestos.
When am I most at risk?
You are most at risk when:
- The building you are working on was built before the year 2000
- You are working on an unfamiliar site
- Asbestos-containing materials were not identified before the job was started
- Asbestos-containing materials were identified but this information was not passed on by the people in charge to the people doing the work
- You haven’t done a risk assessment
- You don’t know how to recognise and work safely with asbestos
- You have not had appropriate information, instruction and training
- You know how to work safely with asbestos, but you choose to put yourself at risk by not following proper precautions, perhaps to save time or because no one else is following proper procedures
Remember
- You can’t see or smell asbestos fibres in the air
- The effects of being exposed to asbestos take many years to show up – avoid breathing it in now
- People who smoke and are also exposed to asbestos fibres are at a much greater risk of developing lung cancer
- Asbestos is only a danger when fibres are made airborne and breathed in
- As long as the asbestos is in good condition and it is located somewhere where it can’t be easily damaged then it shouldn’t be a risk to you
Where can you find Asbestos?
Inside
- Asbestos cement Water tank
- Pipe lagging
- Loose fill insulation
- Textured decorative coating eg artex
- Ceiling tiles
- Bath panel
- Toilet seat and cistern
- Behind the fuse box
- Airing cupboard and/or sprayed insulation coating boiler
- Partition wall
- Around the boiler
- Vinyl floor tiles
- Behind fire
Outside
- Gutters and Asbestos cement downpipes
- Soffits – Asbestos cement
- Asbestos cement roof
- Asbestos cement panels
- Corrugated Roofing panels
Asbestos and Health
Asbestos is a general name given to several naturally occurring fibrous minerals that have crystallised to form fibres. Asbestos fibres do not dissolve in water or evaporate, they are resistant to heat, fire, chemical and biological degradation and are mechanically strong.
Asbestos is generally divided into two sub-groups; serpentine and amphiboles. Serpentine asbestos (chrysotile or white asbestos) was the most commonly used type of asbestos.
Chrysotile asbestos fibres are soft, flexible and curved and far less hazardous than the amphibole type. Amphibole fibres (crocidolite -blue asbestos, amosite- brown asbestos, tremolite, actinolite and anthophyllite) are brittle fibres and are often rod- or needle-like in appearance. It is this form that is more hazardous to health. Crocidolite was the most commonly used amphibole asbestos in the past.
Asbestos and the environment
Asbestos is widespread in the environment. It may enter the atmosphere due to the natural weathering of asbestos-containing ores or damage and breakdown of asbestos-containing products including insulation, car brakes and clutches, ceiling and floor tiles and cement.
Exposure to asbestos
People may come into contact with asbestos from existing asbestos-containing materials in buildings and products. If they are intact, they pose very little risk. However, if asbestos containing products are damaged in some way, fibres may be released. Caution should be taken when doing DIY work in buildings containing asbestos. Find further advice on asbestos in the home People are most likely to be exposed to asbestos fibres by breathing in fibres that are suspended in air.
People also may swallow small amounts of the fibres if the asbestos enters the soil or drinking water. Although asbestos does not dissolve, fibres may enter water after being eroded from natural sources, from asbestos-cement or from asbestos-containing filters. However, there is no evidence the ingestion of asbestos fibres is hazardous to health.
Those involved in demolition work, asbestos abatement, building repair and maintenance may be exposed to higher levels of asbestos as disturbing such materials releases fibres into the air.
If you are exposed to asbestos
Intact asbestos materials in a place where they are unlikely to be disturbed should not cause any harm. If you come into contact with asbestos fibres, you should remove yourself from the source of exposure. If you have got asbestos fibres on your skin and clothes do not shake or brush the fibres off as this will make them airborne and prone to being inhaled. Remove all visible dust and fibres from the body, clothing and footwear by wet wiping with a damp cloth using a gentle patting action. Remove any contaminated clothing (not over the head) and place in a bag with the damp cloth. Contact your local authority for advice on disposal of the clothing.
How exposure to asbestos could affect your health
The presence of asbestos in the environment does not always lead to exposure as you must come into contact with the fibres. You may be exposed by breathing, eating, or drinking the substance or by skin contact. Following exposure to any hazardous chemical, the adverse health effects that you may encounter depend on several factors, including the amount to which you are exposed (dose), the duration of exposure, the way you are exposed, the form of asbestos and if you were exposed to any other chemicals.
All forms of asbestos fibres are hazardous as they can induce cancer following inhalation exposure, but amphibole forms of asbestos (including blue and brown) are more hazardous to health than chrysotile (white).
Breathing in high concentrations of asbestos for a long period of time mainly affects the lungs, causing a disease called asbestosis where breathing becomes difficult and the heart enlarges. Asbestosis may take decades to develop. Asbestosis sufferers are at an increased risk of cancer. Exposure to lower concentrations of asbestos over time may result in a general (diffuse pleural thickening) or localised (pleural plaques) thickening of the lung lining.
Warts and corns may form around asbestos fibres that become embedded in the skin. The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that there is no consistent evidence that ingested asbestos is hazardous to health.
Cancer risks
The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified all forms of asbestos as being carcinogenic to humans. Asbestos causes mesothelioma (type of cancer that forms on the protective tissue that covers the lungs or the abdomen) and cancer of the lung, larynx (voice box) and ovary.
Vulnerable people
People with breathing problems such as asthma may be more sensitive to the effects of asbestos.
Mesothelioma and Asbestos
Mesothelioma is the cancer that affects the mesothelial cells. The mesothelial cells cover almost every organ inside your body. These cells form a lubricating and protective coating over the organs called a mesothelium. Mesothelioma is the cancer of the mesothelial cells.
Almost everyone who is diagnosed with mesothelioma was exposed to Asbestos, be it from the workplace, home or air-bone fibres.
Frequently Asked Questions (Q&A)
A lot of this information on this page has been taken from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) website and Gov.uk.