Asbestos is an inert fibrous material which used to be mined in huge quantities and was a major component of building materials. The fibrous form is a great insulator and will not burn under any circumstances. So you will find it lining old furnaces and central heating pipes in older buildings.
There are various types of asbestos - white, blue and brown are the main ones
Mixed with cement (asbestos cement) it was used for roofs, drainpipes and dozens of other things. In a previous life, I used to regularly visit Turner & Newall in Trafford Park who were a major force in asbestos. It was a huge industry and we designed a computerised production system for them - whether it really worked I don't know but it made a few CVs look good and that is the main thing.
So, asbestos is the perfect building material - what exactly is the problem? The problem is Asbestosis. "If you breath in asbestos fibre over a long period of time you may develop Asbestosis" That's the official version from the NHS website but the reality is even worse - an acquaintance of mine who had no known exposure to asbestos fibre developed Asbestosis and is now dead - this stuff kills you.
As you would expect, asbestos went through the familiar process where everybody denied it was a problem and the government ignored it until it could be no longer be ignored and then banned it. Then an asbestos removal industry started up who had a vested interest in scaring the shit out of everybody.
And that is where we are now
Some forms of asbestos can kill you - that is not in dispute
The actual chemical composition of asbestos is identical to that of talcum powder - the problem is not the chemical structure but the shape of the microscopic fibres
The Daily Telegraph ran a column for months arguing, with impressive evidence, that white asbestos was harmless and it may well be the case. But that will not help you
Asbestos is NOT dangerous until it gets into the air in a fibrous form - so if your ceiling is made of asbestos in some form and nobody touches it, there is not a problem. The problem develops if somebody decides to drill into it or scrape it or grind it to powder and sniff it up their nose.
Asbestos cement is arguably not a problem - it is a mixture of cement and fibrous asbestos and the fibre is "locked in". At least half the industrial and warehouse buildings in the UK have asbestos cement roofs and roofing contractors will work on them for normal rates and it is not a big deal.
If you are working inside a building and removing or messing with asbestos then you need to employ people who work in negative pressure tents so any dust is sucked away and dealt with. Typically, in my considerable experience, the job will cost you £500 and the abestos people will cost you £15,000. Yes, me too.
If you are thinking of buying an old building you need to cost in the fact that it will undoubtedly have asbestos in it and anything you plan to do will cost you a lot more than you expected.
If on the other hand, you happen to own an old building where you do not wish to make any changes, then just leave the asbestos alone. There is absolutely no point in trying to remove it as this will cost you tens of thousands of pounds and no matter how careful the operatives are, they will inevitably spread millions of molecules of asbestos all around the place thereby making the situation worse!
Bob Cory
Modified on 31/08/2019 at 11:41:56 by Bob Cory