Why Is It Important to Handle Asbestos Safely?

Although the use of asbestos dates back to prehistoric times, the mineral came into popularity during the Industrial Age. The fireproofing properties of asbestos made it essential to many industries such as the automobile, construction, manufacturing, power and chemical industries. Despite all the efforts to use asbestos safely, it remains a danger to human health, causing crippling diseases such as asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer.

Asbestos can still be found in buildings where it was used predominantly from the 1950s to the 1980s and if your home was built before 2000, there is a possibility that asbestos was used in the process. You may discover it in your home, your garage, or elsewhere, especially while carrying out DIY or renovations. As it is incredibly dangerous and life threatening if disturbed, you must know what to do if you come across it.

Can I Remove Asbestos Myself?

You must never handle or try to remove asbestos yourself. Asbestos becomes harmful once it has been disturbed, as this causes the fibres to be released, which then may be inhaled. If you encounter what you suspect to be asbestos, you must not touch it. Instead, you should keep it isolated and seek specialist advice. If it is asbestos, then only professionals who are specifically trained to manage it should handle and remove it.

If you were to try to remove asbestos yourself, you would put yourself and those around you at serious risk. Disturbed asbestos can cause those who are in the vicinity to breath in the particles and potentially develop diseases including mesothelioma, asbestosis, asbestos-related lung cancer and pleural thickening.

This tends to happen over a sustained period of time due to extended exposure. However, as asbestos is hard to identify (asbestos fibres are microscopic; a thousandth of the diameter of human hair), it is highly likely that these particles will remain in your home if you do attempt to remove it yourself. This means that you and others could be breathing asbestos in over time and at risk of becoming seriously ill.

Does This Apply to All Types of Asbestos?

In short, yes, you must never try to remove any type of asbestos yourself. Asbestos requires a fully licensed company to come and remove it from the premises or in some forms it can be removed by unlicensed but trained personnel.

Asbestos covers six different types of minerals that belong to two mineral families, serpentine and amphibole. All types are harmful to the health of humans if the asbestos is disturbed and the fibres are then dispersed into the air. You can find out more about each of the types of asbestos below:

Chrysotile (white asbestos) is the most commonly used type and it often contains small amounts of tremolite, another type of asbestos. The fibres can be identified by their fine texture and are commonly used in the roofs, ceilings, walls and floors of homes and businesses.
Amosite (brown asbestos) was used most frequently in cement sheets and pipe insulation. It can also be found in insulating board, ceiling tiles and thermal insulation products. Though all types of asbestos are toxic, amosite asbestos exposure has a comparatively higher cancer risk.
Crocidolite (blue asbestos) also has very thin fibres and is brittle in nature. It was used in some spray-on coatings, pipe insulation, plastics and cement products. This makes it one of the most harmful forms of asbestos because its composition means that it easily breaks down, leading to an increased risk of asbestos exposure.
Tremolite is often found as a contaminant in chrysotile asbestos. It may be in paints, sealants, asbestos-containing insulation products and talc products. It comes in several different colours, including white, green and grey.
Actinolite fibres are lightweight and tend to be dark in colour. It can be found in many forms, including brittle and fibrous or dense and compact, and is often used in paints, sealants and drywall.
Anthophyllite fibres are a grey-brown colour and are commonly found as a contaminant in composite flooring. It was regularly used in products containing vermiculite and talc, such as talcum powder.

Although these types have different qualities and functions, they are all hazardous to human health. If you come across what you suspect to be any of the types of asbestos, you must not touch it. Instead, every type will require professional removal to ensure all asbestos is removed and done so safely.

Get Started with Casa Environmental Services

If you want more information about identifying asbestos or if you think you have disturbed asbestos materials, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with a member of our team today. We have all the knowledge, equipment and expertise needed to not only identify asbestos, but also safely manage it, whether that be through encapsulation, removal or decontamination.

Casa Environmental Services are also perfectly positioned to help with your asbestos awareness training. With our experience and proven track record with asbestos surveying, analysis, management, training and consultancy, we can guarantee our experienced consultants will offer you a top of the range asbestos awareness training course, equipping you with all the knowledge you need to perform your job safely. For a no-obligation discussion on how we can serve you, please contact us today.

Read more about The UK Asbestos Training Association (UKATA) here: https://www.ukata.org.uk/

References & other sources: https://www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/hub/

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