Asbestos or not?

[Emmadenise]

I know there are a couple of other posts, but can you please help me? I’m in a housing association property built in 2020, but I don’t know if they bought materials the year before or not when asbestos was banned?
I’m having my kitchen refurbed and like my bathroom before it a leak has caused the floor and wall boards to disintegrate as well as the kitchen fitted unit. I only went in there to hoover before they came tomorrow, and was shocked to find screws and attachments under the vinyl they’ve laid. So I pulled them out and hoovered it all. Well, unit and flooring collapsed. Behind the wall is yellow filler.
Can you see from the pictures likelihood of asbestos please? I’ll ask them to check but I know they’ll say it’s fine. How can you actually know without testing though?
Thank you

 

[Ron0z]

Asbestos tends to be tough. Hard to drill through. It was used for roofing and fences; therefore, it resists water. If you are worried, get someone to test it. But remember, if left and not touched, it won't do you any harm. Do you really want to rip it out, which will scatter fragments all over the house? (Let sleeping dogs lie.) I've often found it to be labelled. Look for markings painted on it, or even paper stickers glued on it. Get a bright light on it and take lots of photographs to see if you can pick up on any identification marks. If it does turn out to be asbestos, dispose of the vacuum cleaner (properly) and clean the place like there's been an infectious disease in the place and don't keep any of the rags.

Regarding builders, if you were a builder and had bought a hundred sheets of it, would you throw it out or use up your old stock?

 

[Emmadenise]

Thank you. I’ve hoovered it now so how do I know?
If I was builder no but a developer?

 

[Lower]

The yellow filler you refer to is insulation. Its either rockwool or glass wool, not asbestos.

Get it tested if you're worried, but its highly unlikely to be asbestos with a house of that age. The nasty asbestos was banned in 1985 with ban extended to white asbestos which is no where near as dangerous in 1999. However, people had stopped using it long before the ban and i've never heard of or seen asbestos that looks anything like the insulation shown in your photos.

 

[Emmadenise]

Thank you !

 

[Brigadier]

I’m in a housing association property built in 2020,

Built 20 years after final ban of asbestos in the UK (certain very specialist derogations excepted).

 

[endecotp]

Asbestos tends to be tough. Hard to drill through. It was used for roofing and fences; therefore, it resists water. If you are worried, get someone to test it. But remember, if left and not touched, it won't do you any harm. Do you really want to rip it out, which will scatter fragments all over the house? (Let sleeping dogs lie.) I've often found it to be labelled. Look for markings painted on it, or even paper stickers glued on it. Get a bright light on it and take lots of photographs to see if you can pick up on any identification marks. If it does turn out to be asbestos, dispose of the vacuum cleaner (properly) and clean the place like there's been an infectious disease in the place and don't keep any of the rags.

Regarding builders, if you were a builder and had bought a hundred sheets of it, would you throw it out or use up your old stock?

One of the most ridiculous posts ever.

Regarding the question in the last line - you would certainly have disposed of it responsibly, because if you hadn’t you would have faced a business-ending fine. No, there is zero possibility that a property built in 2020 by a housing association - not Uncle Ron’s Building Co - would have been using up a stack of old asbestos boards that they had (somehow?) obtained just before the ban.

 

[Ron0z]

One of the most ridiculous posts ever

If you think everyone is honest and does the right thing, you've got your head in the clouds. Even builders take shortcuts. Think of the Grenfell Tower.

 

[foxhole]

If you think everyone is honest and does the right thing, you've got your head in the clouds. Even builders take shortcuts. Think of the Grenfell Tower.

Yeh, lots of builder store materials 20years

 

[Ron0z]

Yeh, lots of builder store materials 20years

No idea.

Probably not, but just imagine a builder who does the right thing and decides to discontinue using their remaining stock of asbestos sheeting and buys placement materials. The asbestos sheets have been at the back of his shed for 20 years. And now someone comes along needing a quick and dirty repair done on the cheap. Or maybe the builder has fallen on hard times. Using those old boards must be so appealing.

Generally, unless a particular product or process is specified, people will always go for something that cuts costs. Grenfell Tower is a reminder. Though I think that material came from the US. Perhaps when the legal eagles finish the case, we'll find out.

There was a recent bit of news getting around my home town that relates to asbestos. It seems that K-mart and Target have been selling ‘play sand’ that contains asbestos. As you know doubt know, there are many different types, and the asbestos in the sand was a less harmful variety. However, school authorities have closed dozens of schools while decontamination teams move in to remove the little pots of sand and begin a clean-up process. (Personally, I think that’s overkill, but it is what it is.)

I don’t really know what play sand is. I can only imagine kids use it to make patterns in art class; possibly glueing it to their pictures and the like.

China makes some quality products. They also make some rubbish. There was a Chinese baby powder milk formula that was sold which turned out to be poisonous. In this recent news item, the play sand was also sourced from China. No doubt the department stores (which have been selling it for about five years) will be taking it off their shelves.

It doesn’t take much imagination to consider a builder looking to source cheap fibro boards might find an overseas manufacturer who doesn’t care what their boards are made from, asbestos included. Cost is a big driver. I've no idea if that happens, but if China sells products for children's use that contain asbestos, I can't see why it wouldn't be available for builders too.

 

[Deluks]

Yeh, lots of builder store materials 20years

A local building supplier gave me some free corrugated asbestos sheets in the mid 2000's, they couldn't sell them and were stuck with them.
I had a couple of cracked sheets on my 1970's garage. Took them off with the PPE and water etc.
The replacement ones, I painted to seal them, and managed to strap them down to the roof without cutting or drilling. Still up there (although more of the original ones are now cracked)

Assume nothing!

To the poster, no sign of asbestos in the photos.

 

[Emmadenise]

Thank you. I think with Grenfell the sheets were legal but tested at 100 degrees or similar and no one imagined it would get to 180 degrees, so now they are illegal or unsafe. Many private flats still have them too.

 

[Phil473]

I know there are a couple of other posts, but can you please help me? I’m in a housing association property built in 2020, but I don’t know if they bought materials the year before or not when asbestos was banned?
I’m having my kitchen refurbed and like my bathroom before it a leak has caused the floor and wall boards to disintegrate as well as the kitchen fitted unit. I only went in there to hoover before they came tomorrow, and was shocked to find screws and attachments under the vinyl they’ve laid. So I pulled them out and hoovered it all. Well, unit and flooring collapsed. Behind the wall is yellow filler.
Can you see from the pictures likelihood of asbestos please? I’ll ask them to check but I know they’ll say it’s fine. How can you actually know without testing though?
Thank you

No one can tell from photos. Getting it tested ASAP is the only way to go.

Before we do any refurbishment, we must always consider asbestos unless the property was built after asbestos was banned. And even then, be on the cautious side.

My experience is that tradesmen generally don't consider asbestos and aren't qualified to advice. Having had a bad experience with high content asbestos, and a tradesman who endangered himself and me, I will get an asbestos inspection before any work if not sure of the prescence of asbestos.

You are spending about 2K on refurbishment? Another £100 on a survey, insures safety.

Now, we're not taught asbestos awareness at school so don't beat yourself up about it. Just get hold of an asbestos pro and have a survey done.

 

[Phil473]

To the poster, no sign of asbestos in the photos.

No way you can tell from a photo.

 

[endecotp]

No one can tell from photos.

But we can tell from the fact that the property was built in 2020! I.e. decades after the final ban.