![]() Asbestos in council properties. What to do if you suspect asbestos is in your council home and how to get rid of it. What is asbestos. Asbestos used to be a common building material and can be found in many council properties. |
![]() Always seek advice before thinking of removing asbestos and follow the basic rules below if carrying out asbestos cement removal work. Do not attempt to remove asbestos lagging, spray coatings or large areas of Insulation Board by yourself as these materials can only be safely removed by a licensed contractor. |
![]() Recording all asbestos information on our asbestos register. Providing information about the presence of asbestos-containing materials to anyone who could potentially come into contact with them. Employing accredited asbestos survey consultants and licensed asbestos removal contractors for all work involving asbestos-containing materials. |
![]() It might even be worthwhile painting certain items to help prevent wear and to encapsulate the asbestos but don't' scrape or sand the asbestos material before painting. The guiding rule therefore is not to disturb items containing asbestos unless absolutely necessary. |
![]() Unless it is clearly marked as asbestos, the only way to detect asbestos in an unmarked material is to send a sample to a lab for testing or hire an accredited asbestos inspector. Asbestos materials fall into two risk categories.: |
![]() Paint indoor materials with an alkali resistant paint such as PVA emulsion, and never sand, drill or saw asbestos materials. If you cover up asbestos make a note of where it is so that you are not exposed to asbestos fibres in subsequent DIY work. |
![]() The International Agency for Research on Cancer IARC recently reaffirmed that there is sufficient evidence for asbestos to be classified as a known human carcinogen i.e. All commercial forms of asbestos, including chrysotile white asbestos, cause lung cancer and mesothelioma. |
![]() Asbestos, a naturally occurring fibrous mineral, was widely used in the UK as insulation and a fire retardant. The import and use of blue and brown asbestos was banned in 1985, while white asbestos, which is thought to be less dangerous, was banned in 1999. |