Lockdown was a challenging time for all of us, for a variety of reasons, but there was some good to come from the time we spent cooped up indoors. Hobbies flourished, new skills were learned, friendships were reforged – albeit on Zoom – and DIY is now more popular than ever. Yet that newfound lust for renovation and upcycling could have serious implications for our long-term health, in the form of a well-known but much-misunderstood foe: asbestos.
While we all know that there is a lingering asbestos problem in public buildings – often thanks to regular coverage by local news – there’s just as much risk in private homes, and it is going largely undocumented.
It is now law that owners of public buildings must monitor and maintain any asbestos found within the building. But what about the buildings that fall under residential use? There is a legal obligation to mention asbestos when selling a property if you know about it, but no requirement to have your house checked for it.
This means that when you buy a property, asbestos not being mentioned doesn’t mean that it isn’t present. There is no obligation to check for it, and many surveyors aren’t trained to search for it. And with an estimated 3000 separate items thought to have been made using asbestos, it isn’t just the structure of the building you need to look out for.
But wasn’t asbestos banned?
Asbestos is a mineral that was commonly used in construction materials and became incredibly popular around the end of the 19th century. It was touted as a wonder material (we clearly did not learn our lessons from arsenic wallpaper and radium clocks) due to it being hard-wearing, fire and heat-resistant, a fantastic insulator, and relatively cheap compared to its alternatives.
This led to it being included in all kinds of items, from fireproofing and all manner of construction materials, to lesser-known items such as cigarette filters and bowling balls. However, it was later discovered that asbestos exposure could cause serious health problems, including mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis.
This is because the extremely sharp asbestos fibres are inhaled and become lodged in the labyrinthian spaces within the lungs, where they cause continual damage over decades. It is because of this extremely long timeframe that asbestos exposure can seem harmless at the time, but have devastating effects further down the road.
While asbestos has been banned from being used in new materials in many countries (1999, in the case of the UK), it can still be found in older homes that were built prior to this, and particularly before the 1980s. This means that if you’re planning on doing renovations or repairs on an older home, you may be at risk of asbestos exposure.
But my home was built before 1800 or after 2000, so I’m safe, right?
While the actual materials used to build the home should be safe in newer homes and less likely in the really old ones, there’s always the risk of those items found in and around it. Because many materials were made out of asbestos throughout the 20th century, any repair or renovation work that was undertaken throughout this time could potentially contain asbestos. Even in much, much older buildings, you should always be wary of any ceiling coating, artificial ceilings, walls or floors, as well as anything that may have been fireproofed, as this was a big selling point of asbestos as a material.
What are the risks?
One of the biggest risks associated with asbestos exposure during home renovations is the disturbance of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs). These materials can be found in various places throughout the home, including in insulation, flooring, roofing, and sidings.
When undamaged, these materials normally do not shed their fibres, and are thus not harmful. However, even these non-friable materials can degrade over time and can become unstable, so they should be monitored and maintained at all times. When these materials are disturbed during renovations, asbestos fibres can become airborne, and be inhaled by anyone in the vicinity.
The risk of asbestos exposure is particularly high during the demolition or removal of these materials, as well as during the sanding or cutting of materials that contain asbestos. Even something as simple as drilling a hole in a wall that contains asbestos can release fibres into the air.
To reduce the chance of asbestos exposure during home renovations, it is important to take certain precautions to ensure the safety of yourself and your family. Asbestos can be carried on clothing and can cause secondary exposure to those around you, even a while after initial exposure. Indeed, there are many cases of the spouses of asbestos workers becoming ill and dying due to washing their work clothes, years after the exposure.
- First, if you’re planning on doing any renovations or repairs on an older home, it’s a good idea to have it inspected for asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) before you begin. This can help you identify potential hazards and take steps to avoid exposure.
- When doing any form of renovation work where there is a risk of asbestos, make sure you are wearing suitable protective clothing and masks.
- If asbestos-containing materials are identified, it’s essential to hire a licensed and certified asbestos abatement professional to safely remove them. Attempting to remove ACMs yourself can actually increase the risk of exposure, as it may disturb the materials and release fibres into the air.
- If asbestos is found but is unremovable, or is relatively inert, there is also the option in some cases, to get an expert to seal it and make it safer for the time being.
What am I looking for?
While it is no longer legal to use asbestos in projects, the UK imported a huge six million tonnes of asbestos in its heyday (most of it the chrysotile, or white, variety), and the majority of it is still out there, unmonitored and unaccounted for. The issue comes in that many objects containing asbestos look similar, if not identical to those that do not.
The most common places to find asbestos in the home are:
- Popcorn or textured ceilings & walls.
- Older forms of insulation
- Vinyl floor tiles and/or the adhesive backing used
- Coverings and surrounds for hot water pipes
- Heat-resistant fabrics (Such as older sofas)
- Walls and floors around heat-sensitive areas, such as stoves.
- Fireplace surrounds, brickwork, coatings
- Older furnaces that use coal or oil
- Roofing shingles
It’s important to note that some asbestos-containing materials may not be physically visible. For example, asbestos insulation may be hidden behind walls or ceilings, so it is possible to unknowingly expose yourself and others to asbestos during renovations. Even just drilling into a wall made of asbestos puts you at immediate risk, as this releases the fibres that get stuck in your airways.
Asbestos fibres are often microscopic and cannot be seen with the naked eye, so vigilance will only get you so far. When doing any kind of renovation or DIY work, always err on the side of caution, and wear an FFP3 (P3) grade mask that will protect you by filtering out the smallest of airborne particles. And with so many items for such a variety of purposes containing asbestos, it’s always safer to assume that it is, than it is not. When in doubt, get it checked out.
This article was written by SAMS Ltd, one of the country’s leading providers of asbestos awareness courses. SAMS also provide a range of online and in person professional training, as well as consultancy and other safety services.