Spotlight on Asbestos
Dealing with Asbestos
Asbestos: not the most exciting of subjects, I appreciate – but an important one nonetheless. When purchasing a property, the presence of asbestos can sometimes feel like a terminal diagnosis which makes many buyers instantly back out and run for cover. Yet whilst asbestos is a seriously hazardous material that undoubtedly needs to be considered with care, it’s not necessarily an insurmountable obstacle – especially if you’ve found the home of your dreams. In this blog, I shine a spotlight on asbestos to explain what it is, some approaches to managing it and why it doesn’t have to be a deal-breaker.
What is asbestos?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral composed of long, thin crystals that was commonly used in the construction industry throughout the 19th and 20th century. Between the 1950s and 70s especially, asbestos was regularly added to building materials due to its various physical properties: it is flame retardant, offers sound insulation, can withstand high levels of tension, and is resistant to weather and chemicals.
There are 6 types of asbestos, but the three main types commonly used in the UK were:
crocidolite (blue asbestos)
amosite (brown asbestos)
chrysotile (white asbestos)
The three rarer types – tremolite, anthophyllite and actinolite – are seen far less commonly.
Why is it dangerous?
From the 1970s onwards, there was increasing concern about the dangers of asbestos on human health. While asbestos is not thought to be harmful when left alone, if disturbed it releases a fine dust containing microscopic fibres into the air – the inhalation of which can cause serious diseases that will not affect you immediately but later on in life, such as:
Asbestosis: the hardening of lung tissue (not always fatal but it can be very debilitating).
Lung cancer: which has a synergistic effect to smoking and is indistinguishable from other cancers (almost always fatal).
Mesothelioma: cancer of the chest cavity lining (is always fatal).
The risk from asbestos containing materials is determined by something known as their friability: the ease with which they release fibres. The higher the friability, the greater the potential risk. Although its use was officially banned in the UK in 1999, buildings constructed in the pre-2000 era may still contain asbestos today.
Where is it found?
Asbestos was used extensively in house building before the UK banned its use in 1999. It is even possible that some Artex ceilings done after that date may contain asbestos if old stock “on the shelf” was used. Asbestos is commonly found in the insulation, flooring and roofing of buildings constructed before the 2000s. In residential homes, it may be present internally in textured ceiling or wall coatings, in the linings of boilers, airing cupboards and pipe ducts (especially where the heating is Blown Air), and in insulated pipework found in floor voids and lofts.
Externally, it is commonly found on garage roofs with profiled sheet coverings and ceilings. Asbestos fibre can also be found in some types of mastic and adhesives, floor tiles, textured paints, vinyl floor coverings and some resin-based items such as toilet cisterns.
Some examples of where asbestos may be present:
How can you tell if asbestos is present?
Because it was commonly mixed into other building materials, asbestos is notoriously difficult to spot and is quite often hidden by designs or decorations. Asbestos cannot be identified by its colour as the asbestos fibres were quite frequently dyed. Brown and blue asbestos can be found in the asbestos cement roof sheets.
The only way to definitively confirm if a suspect material contains asbestos fibres is to have a representative sample analysed in an accredited laboratory. Although I don’t offer this service myself – it’s a task to be carried out by a lab analyst or a specialist asbestos surveyor – I will always indicate on my survey reports any areas of concern where I believe asbestos may be present, so that clients can investigate further before committing to make a purchase.
As well as the obvious health and safety risks, the presence of asbestos may give you room to negotiate the purchase price of a property: it’s therefore well worth a thorough investigation so you know exactly what you’re dealing with.
Why it doesn’t have to be a deal-breaker
If asbestos is found to be present, it’s not necessarily the end of the world. If you’re not planning to disturb asbestos in the fabric of the building, either now or in the future, you could adopt a ‘leave and manage’ approach: however, do keep in mind that this will create the need to periodically check the condition of the asbestos containing materials and consider their presence if you do ever decide to plan works or the time comes to resell the property. Also bear in mind that you will need to have the suspect material analysed if you are having contractors that are going to disturb material, even if only to change a light fitting to a textured ceiling.
If you need to get rid of asbestos, its removal needs to be properly considered, costed and disposed of in line with government regulations: visit the Gov.uk website to obtain specific information from your local council. Having said that, it can be done and it doesn’t need to be complicated, so the presence of asbestos shouldn’t automatically prevent you from buying a home you’ve got your heart set on.
If you’re buying in a block of flats built before 1999, the owner has a legal duty under The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 to have a Management Survey done to indicate if asbestos is present, or assumed to be, in the building’s common areas such as the foyer, lift, stairs, lobby, boiler and plant room, roof space, communal yard etc. They then have to produce a written Management Plan providing comprehensive details on the process of managing asbestos risks from cradle to grave. This responsibility may not extend to individual flats however, so it’s always a good idea to check: if you need support, a level 2 or 3 survey report will highlight any areas of concern.
Hope that helped get a better understanding of the impact of Asbestos in you home (or about-to-be-home!) - please reach out and ask me if you’d like some professional advice on this area.
Got questions or comments about this blog? Looking to get a residential survey done in London? Shoot me an email at roo@rmsurveyors.co.uk or call me on 07957 606886