The dreaded asbestos

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Hi all can someone enlighten me please?
I know a fair bit about asbestos, worked with it and lost a colleague to it, so I am careful (some would say paranoid) in my late 60's I guess the odd bit extra ain't going to make much difference to me though! I do nonetheless don't want anyone else exposed to it so always advise caution.

My question is why are domestic HEPA filters not suitable for asbestos?

Most claim to protect down to 0.3 microns and that is about the size of an asbestos fibre, some class H machines only state they filter to less than 1 micron which doesn't make sense either.
You would expect them to filter to 0.2 or smaller.

It may be due to the fact that many domestic vacs are poorly made and leak out before the filter that it is the vac and not the filter that is the weak link.

I have read any number of postings on the subject some saying that HEPA filters are tested with round particles and asbestos are long or irregular, still isn't size the minimum dia whatever shape it is?
My brain hurts!:(
 
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asbestos crystals are long fibres, aren't they?

So I suppose you could pass a needle through the holes in a sieve if you poked them through point-first.

But more likely a domestic vac is not tested or warranted with asbestos. Safety-critical machines have quite intensive testing and documentation. You would need to ensure that it would never fail, or would detect a fault and shut down.

If a domestic vac was misused, faulty, or had any blow-by, it would be a terrible device for sucking up asbestos fibres and circulating them into the air.
 
Thanks for the quick reply JohnD.
I wonder also if they would be fine but then have to be disposed off because of the contamination that would be remaining in the appliance.
 
I've always thought that the Type H vacuum required had extra filtration, but a quick look brings up a vacuum by Numatic which has a HEPA filter to catch the asbestos fibres and seems almost identical to my Henry/Charles vacuum.
 
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I've always thought that the Type H vacuum required had extra filtration, but a quick look brings up a vacuum by Numatic which has a HEPA filter to catch the asbestos fibres and seems almost identical to my Henry/Charles vacuum.
Yes that confused me some time back I thought about getting a type H to use with mdf and in case there was any asbestos left about when cleaning up old building rubbish. Terrible price, and looked just like a standard henry with a cap to seal intake and exaust for transport.
 
I imagine using a vacuum cleaner for asbestos would be a nightmare.

You would need to have a very systematic procedure for bag changing otherwise you could end up contaminating yourself, tge vac and the location.
 
I imagine using a vacuum cleaner for asbestos would be a nightmare.

You would need to have a very systematic procedure for bag changing otherwise you could end up contaminating yourself, tge vac and the location.
I would imaging the biggest risk is the exhaust stirring up dust behind you if it is a whole room, you would need to work into the area the opposite of painting a floor ;) or duct the exhaust, small areas might be less trouble.
I looked at the Numatic and the crazy thing is the procedure they show is remove the bag then use the vac to clean it's own filter, how daft is that! I guess you need two vacs!
 

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