Killer Artex!

it is a * world for hazardous stuff tj, i live in the country, can see the sea from every room, i went to yoga last night,dont eat red meat, havnt touched alcohol in 21 years, never smoked  and stay as peaceful as i can. i like life and love my health and body. i agree  with your views on these hazardous materials, but the thing is most of them wont jump out and grab us, we have to go in and poke them with a stick. stresseing really will kill you before most things. get that house of yours tested and let us know the result

Message was edited by: Screwfix Moderator 1 due to unsuitable content

 

Like I have said i think on previous posts. This year some time we plan to convert the garage into a living space this would involve getting VELUX windows put in the roof. For testing Asbestos in the roof what exactaly would it involve? Removing roof tiles? ( They are roman roof tiles I presume made out of concrete or cement?  Like I have said the house builder does not exist anymore if they did exist they could perhaps tell me if the house contains it. The internet does scare me I have done lots of reasearch on Asbestos the dates when it was banned vary from one website to another. The only reasuring thing i have come across is the Building design legestlation 1994 which says from then on only Asbestos free materials were to be used but i strongly advise nobody take this for granted. Surfermick- Hopefully soon I will get house tested but I am sure it will cost a lot! Perhaps I should move into a new build house Would It be possible to take photos of the areas concerned of the house and post them on here perhaps it would give us a better insight if they contain them or not?

Thanks

 

certainly, take photo's and i should be able to say whether there is a chance that the material is asbestos or not. the only sticky wicket will be that in their wisdom the powers that be made the new (cement fibre board) look exactly like asbestos, now i think thats daft but i think a lot of things the powers that be do are daft (like most people in the trade do) but i would be able to eliminate some things and put a ? on some things. if that would help.

 

The photos would be taken on a mobile phone would it still upload ok?
The area i will take photo of is

• Garage roof
• Soffit board
• Artex

 

should up load,garage roof, soffit board i may be able to advize but artex is a hidden quantity,that will need to be tested.

 

Put your hand in your pocket, pay to get it tested, this way or that it will either confirm all's well or give you something else to worry about.

You can contact your local authority enviromental dept they will provide you with details of companys who would carry out air particle testing.

Your property is only one of thousands and thousands that does or may have asbestos products within so wise up stop looking for trouble and move on. Forget about the asbestos the stress you are causing yourself will get you in the end.

 

Right,
Uploaded picture of soffit board hopefully its uploaded ok for all to see. I will try to get roof but I am having diffcuties uploading.

 

Garage roof seen from window.
Not sure what it could be made from? the tiles are proably 18 years old ( 1995)

 

ok, roof tiles do not have asbestos in them, you are safe there, the only roof tiles that has asbestos in are flat black (about 5mm thick ) tiles. your sofit board is one of 3 things, its either painted ply, asbestos or the newer cement fibre board replacement. the most likely is the replacement board, but i gather you would be happier having it tested. so there you go tj, how does that sound. i hope ive helped a little.

 

I have been seeing this thread for a while now and as everyone has been giving very fair advice I have stayed out of it. I?ve got to say I feel very strongly that too many people treat white asbestos as safe, it ?ain?t and now we know the dangers we should take every precaution we can to avoid any exposure whatsoever to asbestos.

As someone that?s a bit OCD myself where asbestos is concerned I totally sympathise with your concerns.

That said though, in a 1995 built house while no one can guarantee some idiot hasn?t used up a bit he had lying around to build your house, the likelihood is fairly remote.

As Astramax has said bite the bullet and have a survey, the cost will be well worth it in the long run to save you worrying.   As far as your previous exposure is concerned at school it was minimal and there is nothing that can usefully be done about it.

I lost a colleague as a result of asbestos, because we worked with it back in the 60?s and 70?s sawing, filing, and drilling it, pulling asbestos rope apart to get thinner strands where you could see the fibres floating in the air, then going to the site canteen for lunch without even washing your hands.   You can see that as ?touch wood? I?m still here, you are at a very low risk.  Forget the previous exposure and get your place tested so that you can stop worrying.

Best wishes,
teabreak

 

totally agree, thumbs up.

 

Thanks Surfermick and teabreak for the advice given it has helped me alot, when we hopefully soon get the garage converted I will defo get it tested. As for school exposure hopefully like you have said is remote. I guess that its a bit like smoking the more fibers you breathe in the more likely its to do harm. HSE says any home or building built before 2000 does worry me though unless its just to cover them selves? As you probably now blue and brown were banned in the mid 1980's and white in 1999. I think asbestos is a  subject which many people don't really talk about its certianaly not something you hear people say everyday.
Anyway thanks again for advice once I get it tested i am sure I will let you know.


Thanks again,
Matthew

 

please do let us know tj. by the way, asbestos is talked about a good bit in the trade, I find most people are quite care free about it, but then they get drunk every night and smoke 20 a day too. I prefer to stay clean myself. good fortune tj.

 

I remember at school in a classroom there was a fire door and the inner  layer was coming out two lads were kicking it of course I was quite near to him.
I don't recall any dust but again this was quite a few years back. This exposure does worry me alot though. Does Asbestos kill only under prolonged exposure rather than one off? I must be driving you mad I swear this will the last post I make!

 

Either, worked with a poor chap who lagged pipes at a power station as an apprentice died from asbestosis at 43, another guy I met who is 80 has been given a few months to live, same illness, no contact with asbestos apart from servicing his car brakes as a younger man.

 

yes, as Astra says, its completely hit and miss. personally, im one of those that will live to 100 with no ill effects.

  and no blummin mates

 

Hopefully I will have no ill effects from exposure. Of course the lads who broke the door are probably less worried than me! Of course there is very small amounts asbestos fibers everywhere in the air isnt there? It sounds like the exposure is from brake pads, fortuantaly I don't service my own brakes and my car was made in 2006 so it should be Asbestos free I do feel sorry for the 80 year old guy though what ashame of course again Asbestos was not banned in brake disks till 1999 although Asbestos free pads were used in the 90's.

 

Hi guy's, I have been in the asbestos abatement business for longer than I can remember and I'm now going to shed some light on this subject. Firstly i have read people's comments on this conversation about asbestos saying that white asbestos is less dangerous than Brown and blue,all asbestos types are dangerous if breathed in excessive amounts. Secondly it's not propaganda it's real life fact that this is a silent killer if you do breath enough of it in trust me when I say this....i know of many men that have lost their fight with asbestosis from lagging and working with asbestos when it was a building product.
I will however tell you all that bonded products such as artex coatings, corrugated garage/warehouse roofs,down pipes,floor tiles,gaskets etc are none hse notified jobs that are very very low risk because of the way it is bonded together it is virtually none fibrous and can be removed without being suppressed by water and by wearing a half mask whilst working under semi controlled conditions. These bonded products are usually white asbestos. Soffits are dependent on whether or not they are cement asbestos(bonded) or AIB (fibrous)
Look on your original survey report on your property and if in doubt get it tested by a independent analyst company.
Fibrous asbestos such as pipe lagging(section/hand coated),aib,limpet/flock is a totally different ball game.