Asbestos Roof Replacement

What is asbestos? Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that has been used in a range of building materials to make them more rigid and fire resistant. It has also been used in household products such as ironing boards and oven gloves.
Asbestos was used extensively as a building material in Great Britain from the 1950s through to the mid 1980s. Some of areas in your home where you may find asbestos include: eaves gutters and rainwater fall pipes fire blankets garage and shed roofs linings for walls, ceilings and doors insulation panels in some storage heaters bath panels central heating flues loose asbestos packing between floors and in partition walls floor tiles
Most people are exposed to low amounts of asbestos present in the atmosphere with no ill effects. Asbestos fibres and dust are potentially very dangerous if inhaled in higher concentrations over a period of time, when they can cause serious lung diseases including cancer. The symptoms of these diseases often do not appear for between 20 -30 years after exposure to asbestos. When Is Asbestos a Hazard? This mineral may not always be an immediate hazard if it is not airborne. If asbestos can be properly maintained, it is recommended to be left alone with periodic inspections. It is only when these asbestos-containing materials get disturbed that they can become airborne and cause a problem. In the asbestos industry, the term "friable asbestos" is used to describe asbestos that can be reduced to dust by hand pressure. Asbestos that is too hard to be reduced to dust by hand pressure is called "non-friable asbestos." Non-friable asbestos can be turned into the friable version by machine grinding, sanding or dry-buffing. Non-friable asbestos materials, which include items such as flooring and siding, are not regulated, as long as they do not become friable.
What to do if you think you have asbestos in your home It is very hard to identify asbestos, but if you suspect that you are living with asbestos: don't panic and leave asbestos alone, it's safe unless it's damaged or disturbed never sand, drill or saw asbestos materials always seek professional advice before thinking of removing asbestos materials do not attempt to remove asbestos lagging, spray coatings or insulation board by yourself. These materials can only be safely removed by a licensed contractor sometimes it will be necessary to take a sample, for example to identify the type of asbestos. Only employ a suitably trained person to sample or do a survey of the premises Duty to Manage Asbestos in Non-Domestic Premises Although it is now illegal to use asbestos in the construction or refurbishment of any premises, many thousands of tonnes of it were used in the past and much of it is still in place. As long as the asbestos is in good condition and is not being or going to be disturbed or damaged there is no risk. But if it is disturbed or damaged, it can become a danger to health, because asbestos fibres are released into the air and people can breathe them in. Anyone who uses your premises, who disturbs asbestos that has deteriorated or been damaged and releases fibres, can be at risk. In fact, anyone whose work involves drilling, sawing or cutting into the fabric of premises could potentially be at risk. They may breathe in asbestos fibres during their day-to-day work. At least 3500 people in Great Britain die each year from mesothelioma and asbestos related lung cancer as a result of past exposure to asbestos. Annual numbers of deaths are predicted to go on rising into the next decade. But those dying during that period will have already inhaled a fatal dose of asbestos fibres. It can take anywhere from 15 to 60 years after first exposure before the development of these fatal diseases, and these deaths arise from exposures many years ago when asbestos was less well controlled, and was in much wider use than today.
New Legislation There are several types of asbestos fibers, of which three have been used for commercial applications: (1) Chrysotile, or white asbestos, comes mainly from Canada, and has been very widely used in the US. It is white-gray in color and found in serpentine rock. (2) Amosite, or brown asbestos, comes from southern Africa. (3) Crocidolite, or blue asbestos, comes from southern Africa and Australia. Amosite and crocidolite are called amphiboles. This term refers to the nature of their geologic formation. Other asbestos fibers that have not been used commercially are tremolite, actinolite and anthophyllite, although they are sometimes contaminants in asbestos-containing products.
It should be noted that there are non-fibrous, or non-asbestiform, variants of tremolite, anthophylite and actinolite, which do not have the adverse health consequences that result from exposure to commercial forms of asbestos.When Is Asbestos a Hazard?
This mineral may not always be an immediate hazard if it is not airborne. If asbestos can be properly maintained, it is recommended to be left alone with periodic inspections. It is only when these asbestos-containing materials get disturbed that they can become airborne and cause a problem. In the asbestos industry, the term "friable asbestos" is used to describe asbestos that can be reduced to dust by hand pressure. Asbestos that is too hard to be reduced to dust by hand pressure is called "non-friable asbestos." Non-friable asbestos can be turned into the friable version by machine grinding, sanding or dry-buffing. Non-friable asbestos materials, which include items such as flooring and siding, are not regulated, as long as they do not become friable.