Posted on July 20, 2015

“Hear Asbestos. Think Prevention.” ADAO’s Prevention Advisory Board (PAB) is a seven person board comprised of industrial hygienists, asbestos trainers, and abatement contractors that serve as expert resource for questions regarding asbestos prevention and abatement from individuals, politicians, publications, government websites, or other social non-profits. As part of PAB’s prevention efforts, one member every month will guest blog on a topic related to asbestos prevention.

Today’s blog was submitted by Christine Winter, PAB Co-Chair. (Unedited)

Winter PABWe live in an amazing world of easy access to information on the internet and world of social media. Great I hear you say however, not all information is good or safe information for those who do not fully understand the ramifications and or the dangers by acting on this seemingly amazing free information.

I recently came across a piece of guidance from a Don’t Do It Yourself” (DDIY) site on the internet, which gave instructions on how to remove asbestos pipe lagging/ insulation in the home. These instructions were for Do It Yourself enthusiasts people like you or I, and whilst it may be legal in some countries or states to do that type of removal work, it would or could be illegal elsewhere and highly dangerous for an unqualified or untrained individual trying to remove asbestos pipe lagging in the home.

ADAO House InsideSo what’s the big deal? In the UK the Government has released Guidance via the HSE: “Lagging and insulation is mostly found in or on heating systems such as around boilers or calorifiers and around pipework. This type of asbestos has many different appearances but is mostly a fibrous material which flakes and powders easily. When applied to pipes it is often covered in a protective coating (or painted) which can be any colour, and may make it more difficult to identify”.

For those who know disturbing this type Asbestos Containing Material without the necessary knowledge and use of control measures has the potential to release up to 100 million deadly asbestos fibres per cubic meter in to the home.

So how dangerous is it? There is no known safe exposure by volume to this deadly dust; this is one of the most dangerous materials that contain asbestos. You are more at risk from breathing in asbestos fibres because the disturbance of the lagging or insulation releases fibres very easily into the air that you and your family breathe.

In the UK we have the Duty To Manage asbestos in buildings that the public use and within which we work (Regulation 4); this does not cover people’s homes where, DIY takes place. We are a nation of Do It Your self “ers”.

Remember if you are not 100% sure of the contents of the materials you are about to disturb, don’t DIY “DDIY”. Get it sampled by a professional  and if required removed by a professional asbestos removal company, and when you are surfing the net looking at those DIY how to sites, check out with your authorities what you can and cannot do and if you can, ensure you do it properly and take all the required precautions.

Remember asbestos is lethal and deadly if inhaled, don’t risk it, don’t “Don’t Do It Yourself”

Christine Winter, ADAO Prevention Advisory Board (PAB) Co-Chair