Asbestos is the name for a group of natural minerals that form tiny, strong fibres. For most of the twentieth century it was used in buildings because it resists fire and heat, does not rot and is cheap. Today we know that breathing its fibres can cause fatal disease.
The three types you may hear about
- Chrysotile, often called white asbestos.
- Amosite, often called brown asbestos.
- Crocidolite, often called blue asbestos.
You cannot tell the type, or even whether a material contains asbestos, by looking at it. The colour names say nothing about what you can see on site. Only a laboratory test can confirm it. Until a competent person has told you otherwise, treat suspect material as asbestos.
Why it is dangerous
Asbestos does no harm while it is sound and left alone. The danger starts when the material is damaged or disturbed and fibres are released into the air. The fibres are far too small to see. They are breathed deep into the lungs and the body cannot get rid of them.
HSE links asbestos to around 5,000 deaths a year in Great Britain. The four main diseases are:
- Mesothelioma: a cancer of the lining of the lungs. It is almost always fatal and is caused almost only by asbestos.
- Asbestos-related lung cancer: usually fatal.
- Asbestosis: scarring of the lungs that can leave a person seriously short of breath.
- Diffuse pleural thickening: thickening of the lung lining that can cause breathlessness and pain.
The disease comes late
Symptoms usually appear 15 to 60 years after the exposure. A young worker who breathes fibres today may feel perfectly well for decades. The effect is cumulative: the more fibres you breathe in, the greater the risk. No safe level has been identified. For this reason the rule is simple: avoid disturbing asbestos at all.
When it was banned
Asbestos was widely used in Britain until it was banned. The use of all types was banned by 1999. Because of this, buildings built or refurbished before the year 2000 may contain asbestos. Banning new use did not remove what was already in place.
The law in short
- The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 is the main workplace safety law. It sets general duties for employers and workers.
- The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR 2012) are the rules specific to asbestos.
- HSE's Approved Code of Practice L143, Managing and working with asbestos, explains how to follow the Regulations in practice.
- Regulation 10 of CAR 2012 says employers must give adequate information, instruction and training to employees who are, or may be, exposed to asbestos, and to their supervisors.
CAR 2012 also uses a control limit: 0.1 fibres per cubic centimetre of air, measured over four hours. HSE is clear that this is not a safe level. It is a legal ceiling, and work must keep exposure as far below it as possible.
Remember
- You cannot see asbestos fibres, and you cannot recognise asbestos by sight.
- Damage and disturbance release the fibres.
- The harm shows many years later.
- Prevention is the only protection that works.