Asbestos soffit boards

[vampyr]

Hello all,

I really need some advice as I'm really worried about something. I recently purchased a property that was built in 1970. I needed the upstairs windows replacing and so I contacted several double glazing firms to get quotes.

Roll forward three months and I've just had new windows fitted by a local company. I was visited by their surveyor who took the measurements and then gave me a call and gave me an installation date. The windows were fitted earlier this week and I was very happy...until now.

One of the fitters advised me that my soffit boards were made of asbestos as they had installed windows in a house (which is the same as mine) in the same cul-de-sac. When he mentioned this, I was alarmed as I know of the dangers of asbestos.

He also advised me that when taking out one of the upstairs bedroom windows, a part of the soffit board was 'cracked' and so he sprayed it with water before carefully removing it.

I'm now starting to panic thinking that my bedroom may be contaminated with asbestos dust (which I believe, by doing some research will be brown asbestos). I know how dangerous this stuff can be and I'm also worried that by removing the old windows and installing the new ones that the edge of the soffit boards (closest to the house) may have been banged, battered and abraded to the extent that it would have released fibres...and that my house could be contaminated with this.

I wasn't at home at any stage during the installation and the two fitters didn't really think there was any need for me to worry as he had sprayed it with water "as soon as he saw" the cracked piece. I know the soffits are on the outside of the house and that some of the fibres (if any were released) would probably have just blown away, I can't get away from the fact that my house could well have them on the inside.

I've known of other properties with asbestos soffits have their windows replaced and I'd imagine this happens around the UK on a daily basis. The truth is, I'm terrified of the stuff and I don't know what to do. I need some advice!

Kind regards,

D

 

[Burnerman]

Soffit boards were often made by a cemented asbestos board called Asbestolux......it doesn't give dust by cracking and I think you are worrying needlessly. I wouldn't be daft enough to sand the stuff but I have no problems handling it.
John

 

[^woody^]

Don't worry. Asbestos cement sheet is low in content and low in risk. The fibres are well bonded and they are not blowing all over the place. And its outside.

 

[vampyr]

Hi John and thank you for your reply. I've been around a few neighbours this evening and one of them pointed me in the direction of the house that had windows whilst the original soffit boards were in place. The guy told me that they had a sample taken (as they were considering having new fascia/soffits etc) and that the results came back that the board was 'insulation board' with a mixture of Chrysotile + Amosite - I believe these to be white/brown asbestos?)...does this sound like it could still be asbestolux?

So the fact that the fitter removed a piece (after spraying it with water) and the removal/installation of the old/new windows (would this generally result in the window frames being butted/knocked into the soffit board or is there a big enough gap?) wouldn't have resulted in any meaningful (if any) fibre release?

Kind regards,

D

 

[vampyr]

When you say, cement sheet, you don't mean the hard corrugated stuff that they used for garage roofs? My soffits are different to this. The stuff I'm referring to is like plasterboard but is also known as AIB (abestos insulation board). Mine are almost identical to this: http://www.beware-asbestos.info/sit...ry_fullsize/public/IMGP8943.JPG?itok=qI6Ujk2a

 

[Burnerman]

From your pics, your soffits look exactly the same as mine......this stuff isn't prone to dusting, and when its hand sawn the particles don't become airborne.
Sticking my neck out maybe, but the nasty stuff is the fibrous wool asbestos (blue asbestos) that was so prevalent in shipyards and pipe lagging installations. Seriously, I don't give this a second thought - and the amount I've put through a circular saw is high!
John

 

[^woody^]

AIB is the more dangerous material with finer fibres of a different form of asbestos, which more readily release as they are bound more loosely. It is less commonly used as a soffit, but as the risk of fibre release is greater, if removal is required, it must be done under controlled conditions by a licenced removal contractor.

You should get advice on sealing or removal of broken sections

You are likely not aware of the new regulations which apply to you as a home owner. You are now responsible for the H&S of workers at your home thanks to a stupid extension of an existing regulation. This is all new with many firms and homeowners unsure about what to do, but you may need to advise your insurance company of a potential claim event.

www.diynot.com/diy/threads/new-cdm-regulations-for-domestic-work.433354/

 

[vampyr]

Thanks for all your replies. I'm really very worried about all of this and it's been constantly on my mind the last 24 hours or so. As the windows have now been fitted, there are no broken or loose bits anywhere that I can see. I did an inspection of them after the windows were fitted and I've just done another one. I believe the only loose part was discovered when the old windows were taken out. The fitter said he sprayed it with water immediately after noticing it. Everything has been sealed. He mentioned there was just the one part that was damaged.

Burnerman - I really hope the soffits you have are the same as mine (i.e. the asbestos cement type).

On my neighbours report, it stated 'insulation board taken from upper elevation'. Does this indeed point to the fact that it is AIB? The strange thing is that it also contains white asbestos. Whereas I thought AIB only contained brown (sometimes blue). Does the presence of white asbestos in my neighbours soffit mean that they are likely to be the less dangerous Asbestos Cement board?

 

[Mw Roofline]

Don't worry about your soffit boards, they hardly contain any ACM's. We work with them every day and a few cracks here or there is nothing to worry about. You would have been breathing in more asbestos at a car race track in the '70's.

 

[vampyr]

Hello all.

Just wanted to say that yesterday, I had a specialist contractor visit my home. They setup an air testing machine and positioned this in the middle of the room and near the windows. They programmed the test to run for 40 minutes and he then examined the filter under a microscope in his van.

He came back 15 minutes later to state that everything was fine, there were 6 fibres found but this only constituted to <0.004 and was well below the <0.01 threshold. He also speculated that the fibres that he saw under the microscope he believed to his best judgement, were carpet/textile fibres.

I'm a lot happier now the test has been done and that the air test registered as a pass. I was told, before the test, that fibres would be detected as the room was carpeted and with things such as curtains/bed linen and clothes, this was normal.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to help reassure me in what has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster these last few days!

 

[Burnerman]

Yep, relax and forget all about it - we appreciate the outcome!
(We had an asbestos testing machine installed in my school some years ago.....we never got to know what the result was because the kids nicked it )
John