During the Coronavirus lockdown, millions of workers on furlough took advantage of the opportunity to do long-overdue DIY repairs and
house improvements.
Traditionally, bank holidays have been set aside for some home improvement projects.
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and trade groups will also use the occasion to reiterate their cautions about the dangers of
asbestos exposure and the need for asbestos waste disposal under controlled conditions.
BBQ and Screwfix, as well as DYI and Home Improvement stores, reported a 21.6 percent increase in sales of garden plants, compost,
fence panels, jet washers, and painting and decorating supplies.
However, how probable is it that you’ll find concealed asbestos in your house when doing DIY repairs or priming walls and ceilings for a fresh coat of paint?
What are the urgent health concerns, and do you require asbestos removal services?
Obviously, not everyone who is furloughed at home is sandpapering or drilling holes in their walls.
Those who are may feel that because they live in a relatively new home, the warnings don’t apply to them, and that “asbestos is a thing of
the past!”
It’s true that, since the mid-80s, when the first asbestos ban was enacted, builders have dramatically reduced the use of the more
hazardous brown and blue asbestos fibre kinds.
However, many people continued to use white asbestos as insulation for at least another 10 years.
A comprehensive ban on all asbestos was not enacted in the UK until November 1999, and was legally implemented by an EU directive in
January 2005.
As a result, it’s critical to warn everyone that any home constructed or remodelled before 2000 may have up to 30% asbestos-containing
components (ACMs).
Asbestos fibres might be found in up to 10% of cement panel ceilings and sheds in residential structures, and at least 5% in other fire
retardant materials.
Domestic Property’s Crucial Elements
The following are the key places of a home where asbestos may still be present:
Walls and ceilings
In the 1970s, textured Artex ceiling and wall coatings were a popular choice for interior design.
Asbestos fibres were used in amounts ranging from 3 to 5% as a strengthener and for ease of application.
A third of homes, according to estimates, may still have the textured surface concealed behind layers of paint.
It’s also conceivable that asbestos insulation board (AIB) is buried under the surface, particularly if the interior arrangement has been
changed or rebuilt.
Hard-bonded asbestos floor tiles may still be buried behind carpets, under layers of flooring, or under foundation resurfacing.
The Attic
Over the years, the major indoor living areas may have been decorated and asbestos-free, but it’s always conceivable that the attic and roofing area have been ignored.
Sprayed-on roof insulation, cement roofing panels, roofing felt, roof eaves, soffits, gutters, and the lining of cold water storage tanks and
rainfall pipelines all included asbestos fibres.
Asbestos fibres are commonly employed in the manufacture of corrugated roofing for garage roofs, but they may also be found in a
variety of property expansions, outhouses, sheds, and storage facilities.
After positive identification and analysis, remove or encapsulate.
When doing repairs or decorating a home that is more than 20 years old, homeowners face the danger of finding asbestos, which
generally entails drilling, scraping, or sandpapering.
Asbestos materials might be disturbed unintentionally if they are buried behind several layers of paint or plaster.
If asbestos sheeting is discovered underneath integrated wallboard structures, a greater problem may arise.
Drilling into a wall or wall cavity with hidden asbestos wallboard is unlikely to produce a significant amount of airborne fibre particles,
especially if the activity is stopped quickly.
A tiny material sample may be required for formal examination if it is highly believed that a small quantity of asbestos material was quickly
disturbed.
Following a positive identification, a choice must be made on whether ACMs should be encapsulated or completely removed.
It’s difficult to tell the difference between asbestos-containing materials and almost similar contemporary asbestos-free ones.
White asbestos fibre goods are likely to be worn and discoloured after twenty or thirty years or more and will resemble other construction
materials in the same condition.
Looking to remove asbestos in Motherwell.
