Asbestos! blah blah

Well I am confused today, this however, of late, is very easily done and with more Christmas shin digs packed into my calendar than coffee mornings with the Vicar I’m one busy lady.

The big asbestos issues; Where is it? Is it dangerous? Should I remove it?

With all the controversy surrounding asbestos and how harmful it may or may not be it’s no wonder people are unsure what to do if they suspect they might have it in their building or home. I would be the talk of the village if the Vicar knew I might have some on my garage!

I’ve spent most of my life throwing caution to the wind but on this particular subject you really should know the facts. Would you walk into a burning fire? No, exactly, you know this will most certainly harm you.

The same principles apply to asbestos but maybe in not such harsh terms. It is harmful if the fibres are released and you breath them in. Asbestos in good condition poses only a very low risk so long as all the people operating in the building know where it is and know not to disturb it.

It’s the people and organisations, sat in their comfy chairs, who chose to ignore the problem and then face massive costs and fines over not managing their asbestos.

At work?

If you work in a building, ask yourself is their asbestos in this building?

Where is it located?

Is their a designated person responsible for monitoring that asbestos?

Do all people within the building know about the asbestos and that it should not be disturbed?

At home?

Do you live in an older property built before the year 2000?

Have you had an asbestos survey on your house?

Do you know if you have any asbestos present in your home?

Do you know what asbestos looks like?

These are some simple questions that you can ask yourself about asbestos. It really isn’t rocket science and wouldn’t you rather be aware of the risks so you can make a calculated judgement about what action to take.

As I always like to say “Better to be safe than covered in asbestos!”

Check back soon for some more asbestos talk time!

Some Common Questions about Asbestos

What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is a natural mineral, mined from rock found in many countries, including Russia, Canada, Australia and South Africa. It is made up of tiny fibres that are as strong as steel, but can be woven like cotton, and are highly resistant to heat and chemicals. Asbestos was dubbed the `Magic Mineral’ because of its unique properties and from the 1860s onwards it was used in thousands of products and buildings all over the world. There are three main types of asbestos that have been used in this country: brown asbestos (amosite); blue asbestos (crocidolite) and white asbestos (chrysotile).
From the late 1880s it was realised that this `Magic Mineral’ had a damaging effect on health, but the truth about the dangers of asbestos was hidden by employers, and successive Governments failed to act to protect workers. It was not until the mid-1980s that blue and brown asbestos were banned in the UK, and not until November 1999 that white asbestos was finally banned.
How does Asbestos damage health?
Asbestos damages health when asbestos fibres are breathed (inhaled) into the lungs. Because asbestos fibres are so fine, they can penetrate deep into the smallest airways of the lungs so that they cannot be easily breathed or coughed out. Once the fibres are inside the lungs, the body’s defence mechanism tries to break them down and remove them. Each fibre is a foreign body, like a splinter in a finger. As the body tries to neutralise and break down the irritating fibres, inflammations develop.
These processes lead to the development of asbestos-related diseases. Asbestos fibres are so strong that they can also penetrate through tissue into the sensitive lining of the lungs (the pleura) causing illness. Once fibres are in the body, they can move around, not only into the pleura, but also the lymph nodes and other parts of the body.
Fibres can also be swallowed (ingested). For example, when mucous and sputum that contain a lot of fibres are swallowed, some of these fibres can stick in the intestinal track and from there they can move into the lining of the abdomen (peritoneum). Fibres can penetrate the skin and cause irritation and reddening. Because of this, some people think that asbestos can grow inside the body like a tree, but this does not happen.
Does exposure to asbestos always damage health?
It is possible to be exposed to high levels of asbestos for long periods of time and not to develop any of the asbestos-related diseases. However, it is generally thought that the more asbestos you have been exposed to, the more likely it is that you will develop an asbestos-related disease such as asbestosis. This may mean that you have been exposed to smaller doses of asbestos over a long period of time, perhaps ten years, or to larger doses over a shorter period of time. It is possible to develop mesothelioma, a cancer caused almost exclusively by asbestos, because of a brief exposure to asbestos.
There is usually a long latency period between exposure and actually developing an asbestos disease. It usually takes at least 10 years, but can take much longer. It can, for instance take up to 40 or more years to develop mesothelioma.
What are “asbestos bodies” in lung tissue?

The body’s defence mechanisms often coat the asbestos fibres with a layer of protein and they are then called “asbestos bodies”. Finding asbestos bodies in lung tissue suggests heavy occupational exposure to asbestos, but this does not necessarily mean that you are suffering from an asbestos disease.