Asbestos Facts
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral which has been mined and processed. It has been used widely in various building and household products because of it's unique properties; thermal stability, high tensile strength and it's resistance to chemicals and electricity.
There are three main types of asbestos which have been used commercially;
- Blue (Crocidolite)
- Brown (Amosite)
- White (Chrysolite)
There are other types of asbestos but are much less common - fibrous actinolite, fibrous anthrophylite and fibrous tremolite. All forms of asbestos are potentially dangerous, however, blue and brown and known to be more hazardous than white asbestos. In general the more asbestos dust inhaled - the greater risk to health.
The wide use of asbestos products led to millions of tonnes of asbestos materials being imported. Once the health risks were discovered controls were introduced and the import, into the UK, of all asbestos was banned, with a few limited exceptions.
Asbestos was used widely in the construction and refurbishment of buildings between 1950 to 1980 - much of which is still in place today. Electricians, building maintenance workers, plumbers, carpenters and shopfitters may still be at risk when carrying out structural alterations and refurbishment work on buildings that contain asbestos. It is also now thought that repeated low level exposure, which could occur during routine repair work, may also lead to asbestos induced cancers. Therefore it is essential to recognise those products which contain asbestos to prevent unnecessary disturbances.
