Peace of mind re: asbestos roof

[Dokkodo]

My current workshop is one of a bunch of units on what was an old farm. Im on the upper floor of one of the buildings, and the roof is made of corrugated cement(?) sheet which my landlord assures me only contains very low concentrations of asbestos.

The internet is a scary place when looking this sort of thing up, there is just too much information and none of it specific enough to put my mind at ease... Periodically I have pangs of worry, especially after days like today when I clear out corners that havent been disturbed in a while and kick up a load of dust... I didnt have my respirator today so it got me doubly worrying...

Is it definitely a safe space? I never do anything directly to the roof/ceiling, other than the very occassional whack with something long and unwieldy, and then I wince and immediately reach for the mask.

Its leaky too in spots, so im wondering whether its worth boarding up the lot, though how I go about that im not sure, id have to fix to the concrete joists, and all that would involve working right by the ceiling...

 

[Stanleymonkey]

Internet research is going to scare you. I had a builder drop a hammer through our garage roof. I didn't notice for months and the bits of asbestos couldn't be found.

These guys did a survey for about £150 (There were tools, gym equipment and kids toys stored in there)

http://westfour.co.uk/

Said it was all safe and I cleaned up the place myself, wearing overalls, proper mask and gloves and then build all the rubbish and cleaning wipes etc, properly. It's not all 'instant death' scenario.

 

[Fitzroy]

Read about the difference between white, brown, and blue asbestos. Brown and blue used industrially and lots of evidence of a health risk, white asbestos has limited evidence of health risk, and the ‘industry’ that has grown to manage it has very much become self substantiating.

F.

 

[beech1948]

I have a shed where I removed the asbestos cement sheets and replaced with OSB and bitumenised corrugated sheets.

I did a DIY test for asbestos first which showed nothing. I then called the local council and spoke to their asbestos expert who decided to come round and have a look. He established via his own tests that it was white asbestos, in very small quantities and advised me to use my P3 respirator, not to break or crack the sheets and to wrap them up in a double wrapped 6mm plastic sheets. He arranged a date and time for me to take them to the tip.

Compared to the scare stories you hear this was a relief to my wallet. His reasoning was that the asbestos was fully encapsulated by the cement used and had been further weathered out of the surface so it should be OK if wrapped up properly. No checks were done on "proper" wrapping.

The tip had a large container with doors at the front to place the sheets in after spraying them down with water.

 

[MikeG.]

How old are you? Given the time between exposure to asbestos and developing mesothelioma is at least 25 years (and generally more like 40), if you are say older than mid 50's you might consider yourself perfectly safe whatever your exposure, and however bad the state of that roof.

Otherwise, the general advice is that unbroken asbestos sheeting in situ is safe enough so long as it is undisturbed, but don't drill it, cut it, or attempt to remove it. Personally, I'd line it internally (insulation, false ceiling) and thus never worry when I find a bit of dust in a corner.

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

They're no danger unless you disturb them ,ie drill or cut. It's blue and brown asbestos that's the nasty one. For ease of mind those sheets have less white asbestos than the floor tiles that plenty of school , sports centers and hospital corridors had back in the 70s and 80s.

 

[Jamster21]

The advice from Mike and beech is spot on - generally asbestos cement sheets are 'white' asbestos (chrysotile) which is a lower risk material. Like all asbestos, its safe when in good condition and undisturbed; cement sheets are generally fairly stable but can be broken with some fibre release. Grinding / sanding asbestos containing materials is generally a very bad idea; the other thing with roofing sheets is that they break up in fires. However, generally a single fire doesn't lead to a significant exposure. A whack with a lump of timber, if it doesn't break the sheet is likely a low risk and the dust is probably just dust!

You can remove corrugated sheets yourself under HSE guidence; decent paper overalls and a P3 respirator are recomended. Council tips will likely take it, especially if arranged beforehand. It needs to be 'double-wrapped' in plastic sheets though. Take the sheets down intact if possible; cut retaining bolts and not the sheets, etc. As Mike says, you could line it; pva / paint is also an option if you've low-pressure sprays...

Apologies for the long reply - some of this is my day job!

 

[Dokkodo]

Great, thanks for the speedy advice all. Think ill turn my attention to the rest of the dust problems! Probably more dangerous by the sounds of it.

Will line the ceiling if/when resources allow and thatll be that. Shame the rest of the walls (internal and external) are so holey, probably not worth insulating without revamping the whole space.

MikeG, im only 27, but a worrier, and a hypochondriac, so im told!