My electrician is worried about asbestos

[asajoh]

Hi!

This isn't so much a diy question (though I'm slightly worried about having inhaled asbestos as I've been hanging shelves and what not).

I asked an electrician to come round to give me a quote for fitting a new consumer unit in my flat and he took a look around. He thinks there is need for some rewiring in the kitchen and we discussed fitting a new cooker hood. However, he thinks that my walls contain asbestos and said he can't do any work in the kitchen if they do.

He said to get my walls tested and seemed to think it would be a lot of hassle and very time consuming.

Does any of you have any experience with this sort of thing? What should I do?

Cheers,

Freya

 

[flyingsparks]

Asbestos was used in a lot of building materials up until around the 1980's. therefore if your house is older than this there is a good chance there is some asbestos somewhere. However, there are two different types blue and white. I'm no expert and I stand to be corrected, but one is more dangerous than the other. What is the age of your property and what is its construction type? Brick? Block? Etc

 

[jamesmcbride]

I used test4asbestos.com before, very efficient (I had the results next day)

You just take a sample of the suspect material, double bag it in sealed plastic bags, send it off to them ( I did it special delivery before 9am) They come back to you a few hours later with their findings...

Costs about £30 IIRC

 

[Taylortwocities]

Hmm,
That process appears to be flawed.

So, you chop up a potentially dangerous material (creating dust, etc)
and then you send the resulting debris away for analysis.
Then a third party tells you if it is safe to chop the material up in the first place.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Hi!

This isn't so much a diy question (though I'm slightly worried about having inhaled asbestos as I've been hanging shelves and what not).

How old are you?

I asked an electrician to come round to give me a quote for fitting a new consumer unit in my flat and he took a look around. He thinks there is need for some rewiring in the kitchen and we discussed fitting a new cooker hood. However, he thinks that my walls contain asbestos and said he can't do any work in the kitchen if they do.

He is right to be wary - currently 6 electricians are dying every week from asbestosis and related conditions. Total per year is 4000, which is more than die on the roads, and of those 25% are building & maintenance workers - electricians, plumbers etc.

He said to get my walls tested and seemed to think it would be a lot of hassle and very time consuming.

Not as much hassle as dying from a lung disease.

Does any of you have any experience with this sort of thing? What should I do?

Stop any more drilling/sawing/etc of suspect material (asbestos is pretty safe as long as you don't disturb it) and get someone in asap to check it. I would agree with TTC - don't do more potentially dangerous work to find out if it's dangerous - get a specialist in.

 

[Bluehair]

http://www.esc.org.uk/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/industry/asbestors/asbestos.pdf

for those that want more info.

 

[viewer]

Contact your local environmental health officer. S/he will know what to do and will help you get sorted out Taking samples is not risky as it done with a special "drill" which contains the fibres. Generally wetting the surface keeps fibres in and a coat of emulsion paint is enough to prevent any problems in normal use. It is airborne fibres which create the danger.
Other replies ask age because mesothelioma ( a cancer caused by asbestos) takes 20 years before the victim becomes ill. No cure.
Obviously nobody on line can comment on your hanging of shelves, but generally asbestos would not be found in house walls except around cookers (again ask EHO). In many places, especially in/near ministry of defence premises and in bungalows, asbestos was used to create or spray a ceiling to increase its insulation.

 

[asajoh]

Thanks for your responses. Lots of really useful advice here!

I've spoken to a range of people and have decided to get a company to come out and at least make sure that any damaged boards aren't asbestos (and if they are, remove and repair) and advice me on the rest of the kitchen.

I know asbestos is nasty stuff (I've been reading about it on the internet) and unfortunately(?) I'm young enough to worry about 20-30 years in the future.

@ban-all-sheds. I really, really don't want to be responsible for someone dying just because I wanted a cooker hood.

Thanks again. This is an awesome community.

 

[canduit]

I'm a bit surprised this subject hasn't been brought up more often. Asbestos can be found in a lot of [ex] local authority buildings, especially flats. Artex ceilings, soffits, around pipe work, panels above doors, those hard brown floor tiles, cooking areas, etc. I dread to think of the amount of ceilings that have been drilled into to fit the fairly recent trend of downlighters... As per a previous post, If you really feel the need to send off a sample and not call in a licensed/accredited company, ensure the area is wet, get your sample, double bag it and paint over the hole. But I strongly advise talking to your local EHO.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Taking samples is not risky as it done with a special "drill" which contains the fibres.

Not when DIY'd as per jamesmcbride's idea...

 

[jamesmcbride]

Perhaps I should have expanded on "take a sample" a bit more - IF you read their site and go for the "testing kit", you get:

•Easy to follow step by step instructions
•Sealed, FFP3 rated, fold flat Disposable & Valved face mask
•Sealed, Disposable Class 3 (Type 5 & 6) Asbestos fibre resistant coverall
•Pair of disposable gloves
•1000 gauge polythene sheeting (Extra thick 1 m/sq)
•500 gauge asbestos waste bag (Extra Thick )
•Hi Strength Cable tie to seal asbestos waste bag
•Cleaning wipes to clean tools after sampling
•Uniquely referenced sample bags for collecting sample (s)
•Uniquely Referenced Material Information Sheet
•Packaging to return sample (s) for analysis
•Cost of Laboratory analysis Fee included


The instructions explain the safer methods of obtaining the sample, obviously if you still have concerns then it's worthwhile getting someone in.

 

[Brigadier]

Plenty of labs in the Leeds area - as you are worried about having potentially inhaled fibres during hanging of shelves, you might consider having an analyst in, who will look where you have drilled (if you ask them), and put your mind at rest.
Also, if you don't know what you are doing, what good is it you taking a sample to send off? Apart from the health aspect, you might send off a piece of nothing to be tested, while the actual assy is next to it......