Asbestos

[jojotoes]

I think I have asbestos insulation board in my airing cupboard and also in my integral garage.

Putting a door through to the garage is something I am considering, but then the (if it is) asbestos will definately need to be removed. But even if I don't do this I have concerns that accidental everyday bashing of asbestos on airing cupboard door will release particles.

I've been looking unsucessfully online to get any kind of indication of how much I might have to pay if they need to be removed, before getting them surveyed.

Does anyone have any idea how much it might cost (SE England) to removed asbestos insulation board?

 

[breezer]

free if you do it yourself.

its not really that dangerous, the problems have come about to the people who worked with it everyday.

I beleive you have to double bag it. spraying it with water first keeps the particles you are worried about down

 

[Bodgeit and scarper ltd]

Asbestos is not that bad. The school I went to was made from it, as were some of the buildings on our farm. I had friends that lived in houses built from it. Back in the 1950s it was everywhere. It was people working every day with blue asbestos that it affected.

 

[gcol]

It was people working every day with blue asbestos that it affected.

Absolutely true.

There's some light reading here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/11/06/eaasbes106.xml
http://www.chrysotile.co.th/health.html

 

[crazycanuck]

you can remove yourself as per other replies.
the thing is you should remove now if you are renovating as some day if you sell full disclosure of problems with the house is mandatory and you may loose a sale.

 

[JohnD]

Do you mean asbestos cement boards (light grey, hard) or do you mean fluffy insulation like wool or woven?

 

[xerxes]

Asbestos cement boards look similar to, and can be confused with, building board made of wood or other fibre and cement. All the asbestos boards I've seen have had a dimpled finish (a bit like hardboard) whereas building board I've seen has the same finish on both sides. Some building board has a smooth finish, others can look somewhat woolly.

I don't have a comprehensive knowledge of these materials; but I'm suggesting you don't assume it's asbestos just because it looks like it.

I agree with others that asbestos cement board isn't a problem. Left undisturbed, the fibres won't escape.

 

[jojotoes]

Unfortunately I don't mean the cement ones, which are not so dangerous. From what I've read this is likely to be AIB which can have blue/brown asbestos in them.

I'm reluctant to get them tested without having some idea what will happen next- being told it will cost an unaffordable amount and having it on record that I have it. At least if I'm not 100% sure it is asbestos in theory I shouldn't be as worried. I'm not usually one to be paranoid, but part of me is concerned of what will happen if I come to sell the house- in the distant future when so called safety standards will be even more ridiculous.

 

[kitessurfer]

..perhaps this could help, there's a lot of info on the web. Remember you're far safer at a work place than you ever are in your own home and if this asbestos were in a work place you would need to get the specialists in if you wanted to shift it.
preceed with caution..

http://www.berwick-upon-tweed.gov.uk/environment/asbestos.htm

 

[JerryM]

the hse website is a must

http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/

if u do the work yourself make sure u get a P3 mask and use paper disposable overalls and double bag as suggested earlier inc the overalls. wet the area with a spray to keep the dust down before u start.

u would need to find a tip licensed for it and take it their.

the trouble is u'd probably have to ask your local council to find out where the tip is - this would probably raise the question of why u are removing it if your not sure what it is etc.

 

[Brigadier]

Joe,

where is the asbestos exactly? Back of door only? Or lining the whole cupboard?

If it is AIB, do not take liberties with it - it will readily release fibres.

And to those who post links to Telegraph articles on asbestos, beware - their stance is that you can chuck asbestos on your cornflakes, and that any "concerns" about asbestos are solely cooked up by those that make a living removing it.

Truth is, we don't really know how much asbestos you need to breathe to kill you. Unfortunately, enough people have breathed enough in the past to be killing 4000 or so of them each year in the UK.