AsbestosA Tenants Guide

Asbestos

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What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that has been used in many building materials.

Asbestos products are only dangerous when they are damaged or become worn and release dust and very small fibres into the air. Therefore, you should not saw, drill, break, scrape or brush any asbestos products.

If inhaled, these fibres can be harmful and can even lead to a number of diseases that develop over a long period of time and cause damage to the lungs.

The more asbestos dust or fibres a person is exposed to, the greater the risk. Therefore it is essential to keep the release of asbestos dust to a minimum and any products that may contain asbestos should always be handled carefully.

A1 Housing tenants should not attempt to remove any materials from their home that may contain asbestos. If you are making repairs or renovations to your property you must first seek permission from your Housing Officer and report suspected asbestos products.

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Where can it be found?

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Asbestos has been used in lots of materials that can be found in and around homes that were constructed or had major works right up until the year 2000. Houses built from the year 2000 onwards are unlikely to contain asbestos.

The most common building materials where asbestos is likely to be found are:

Asbestos Cement

One of the most common uses of asbestos in the home is in cement bonded asbestos products. These have the appearance of a hard grey material which is produced either as flat sheets or mouldings.

It is commonly used in the construction of garages, sheds, soffit and fascia boards, roof sheets, fire surrounds, guttering, drainpipes, toilet soil stacks, flue pipes and water systems.

Where can it be found?

Asbestos Insulation Board This can be used for fire protection, heat insulation and as internal ceiling tiles (occasionally external soffit boards). Asbestos insulation boarding (AIB) is used in some warm air heating systems and also for lining cupboards which house the central heating unit. Certain storage heaters may also contain asbestos material.

Other Building Products Historically some roof felts, textured plaster finishes (‘Artex’), paints, and floor tiles (including backing paper and mastic/adhesive) may contain asbestos.

Some forms of pipe or boiler lagging in older properties may contain asbestos.

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Identification

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Identification is not easy as you cannot tell if a particular material contains asbestos simply by looking at it. The only way to be certain if a product contains asbestos is for a sample to be analysed.

What should I do if I find Asbestos in my home? If you have a building material in your home that you think may contain asbestos, look for signs of damage or dust being released by the material.

If any asbestos found is in good condition and not worn or damaged, it can be left in place. Added protection can be given by painting and sealing the surface, but remember to use an alkali-resistant primer for asbestos cement products.

If the asbestos is damaged or giving off dust, please contact A1 Housing immediately.

If you have already removed or disturbed any building products that may contain Asbestos, please double wrap this in plastic bags and tape closed. This can be collected by A1 Housing and disposed of correctly for a small fee.

DO NOT, under any circumstances, put waste asbestos in your wheelie bin or a general builder’s skip.

Please call 0800 590 542 for collection and a quote.

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Disposal

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