Asbestos

Hanch123 · Mar 15, 2013

Hi guys, had a simple job fitting an inline fan today, I drilled a pilot hole in the sofit and I'm a bit concerned its asbestos, it's painted white although the actual material is a grey/blue colour and not very easy to drill. I only had a crappy paper mask and didn't want to risk it, I've not had much experience with asbestos, am I right in thinking it might be as I've heard it can be a common thing on sofit boards?

rich67577 · Mar 15, 2013

Year but the only way to be 100% is to get a specialist in best just to treat it as as asbestos if not sure better to be safe then sorry

Darkwood · Mar 15, 2013

You'll know in 40yrs ish

.... asbestos is large fibre based in the air born reality if you had a mask on your probably ok even the cheaper ones although those knowingly working in it use a higher grade mask because of the high exposure.

Hanch123 · Mar 15, 2013

Cheers, gonna drill it today with a decent mask. The Koreans are probably gonna blow us up within the next 40 years so I'm sure it won't matter if I've breathed a little bit in

smuggler · Mar 15, 2013

there are 3 common types of asbestos sounds like one get the young fella on ta it

Darkwood · Mar 15, 2013

Errrm! If it is asbestos id not be drilling it at all until you have ad it confirmed and risk assessed.... there are many different forms of it and it only take one partical to settle into your lungs to put you at risk, last time i was suspect i told the customer who called in an expect who thus confirmed i was correct ... he explained it was a low risk form and i could drill it with appropriate mask and by wetting it down.... have coe across it where i wasn't allowed to damage it in anyway as it was highrisk.... this was a foam type lagging on pipes.

Its also been linked to your genes as to how prone you are to get it.... my grandad was exposed to it on 1 occasion with 3 other blokes at work wen ask to knock down a shed --- they all died from it within 40yrs so i probably have the gene that puts me at risk.

charliewilde · Mar 15, 2013

Sorry for my ignorance, what are the uses of asbestos? I know it could be harmful to our health when intake.

Guitarist · Mar 15, 2013

charliewilde said:
Sorry for my ignorance, what are the uses of asbestos? I know it could be harmful to our health when intake.

Without wanting to sound like I don't care, I suggest you google it for all the info you could ever want

KWCFC · Mar 15, 2013

darkwood said:
You'll know in 40yrs ish .... asbestos is large fibre based in the air born reality if you had a mask on your probably ok even the cheaper ones although those knowingly working in it use a higher grade mask because of the high exposure.

No he wouldnt be ok if he had a mask! He drills through the asbestos, the fibres get stuck to his clothes and he then comes home so he and his family can inhale it, maybe even pick up and cuddle his newborn baby covering him in asbestos fibres, he then puts his clothes in the washing machine where it can spread to everyone else's clothing and increasing the risk. But as long as he wore a mask he'll be fine....

If you ever suspect that you've disturbed asbestos then leave the site and dont return until professionals have dealt with it.

craigday · Mar 15, 2013

once you drill into asbestos the fibres will continue to be released unless sealed properly so not ideal to drill

Darkwood · Mar 15, 2013

KWCFC said:
No he wouldnt be ok if he had a mask! He drills through the asbestos, the fibres get stuck to his clothes and he then comes home so he and his family can inhale it, maybe even pick up and cuddle his newborn baby covering him in asbestos fibres, he then puts his clothes in the washing machine where it can spread to everyone else's clothing and increasing the risk. But as long as he wore a mask he'll be fine....

If you ever suspect that you've disturbed asbestos then leave the site and dont return until professionals have dealt with it.

Good point there....... hard to believe in my apprenticeship it was barely mentioned and little time was spent on the issue i suspect nowadays its alot more emphasis on the dangers of it, we had a big brake companies employing alot of our town in the 60's 90's and most of the staff there have met an early painful demise because of it....

craigday · Mar 15, 2013

Some sites I've been on they want you to have completed a asbestos awareness course just to get on the site

Rampantchilli · Mar 15, 2013

ive done 2 awareness courses in last 12 months, infact you are supposed to do one every 12 months to keeps it fresh in your mind. whilst i still wouldnt be sure i could identify it i know when it could be and it sounds like you found some. get it checked, its not safe for you to work on and must be done by a specialist as any dust left behind could still be detrimental to your health.
its gonna cost the homeowner quite a bit

Stuuk1 · Mar 15, 2013

darkwood said:
You'll know in 40yrs ish .... asbestos is large fibre based in the air born reality if you had a mask on your probably ok even the cheaper ones although those knowingly working in it use a higher grade mask because of the high exposure.

No, you are probably not ok.

If you suspect asbestos. You stop work immediately and inform the relevant people.

If you do this kind of work on a day to day basic then you should do some training to make you more aware, especially the user who posted earlier claiming ignorance!

I complete my asbestos training each year having just updated mine two days ago.

A fact stated on the course is that asbestos related illnesses kill approx 4000 people each year and is the biggest known killer.