Background information on asbestos
This page contains background information about asbestos; there are three sections:
The law
Click the law link to find out more about the law regarding the use and management of asbestos in the UK.
Health
Click the health link to see the information on the medical conditions (illnesses) that are attributed to human contact with asbestos.
What is it?
Click the what is it? link to read a description of asbestos and its history.
The law |
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The United Kingdom's asbestos law can be a little daunting so we have produced this simplified guide. However, we do urge you to call our asbestos helpline on 0845 833 2660 for more detailed advice.
The principle regulations are set out in the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006, which is a Statutory Instrument (2006 No. 2739) and is the responsibility of the The Secretary of State. The regulations are managed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which in turn is part of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 replaces three sets of regulations: The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 (CAWR); The Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983 (ASLIC); and The Asbestos (Prohibitions) Regulations 1992 (Prohibitions Regulations).
The law section covers the following topics:
The regulations |
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Although the following topics in this section, cover the key aspects of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. You may want to see a copy for yourself.
Browser The regulations are available online from the Office of Public Sector Information in a web page (HTML) format suitable for directly reading on your browser. Click here to see the page.
PDF The regulations are also available in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. This is a facsimile of the printed version.
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To see the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 in PDF format — click here [PDF Size: 135kb] |
| This will require Adobe Reader software. It is free and the latest version can be obtained from Adobe, click the button below to go to the Adobe website |
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Printed Printed copies of The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 — ISBN 13: 9780110751917 are also available. These can be purchased printed-on-demand from The Stationery Office and other booksellers.
Non-domestic property |
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Non-domestic property includes: offices, factories, shops, hotels, etc.
The current legislation applying to asbestos in non-domestic premises is the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. For most people the essential parts of this regulation are regulations Sections 4 and 10
Duty holder (Section 4) If you are responsible for the maintenance of a building then you are pretty much guaranteed to be the asbestos duty holder for that building. You maybe the owner, the leaseholder, landlord, a sub-letter, or a maintenance manager but the duty is the same..
As the duty holder:
- You must carry out an investigation of your building to determine the whereabouts of any suspected asbestos containing materials (ACMs).
- You must then record the type of ACM that has been found, its location and extent and condition together with a risk assessment into an asbestos register that can be shown to maintenance teams and visiting contractors. Depending upon the risk analysis, ACMs will be recommended for removal or if the material is in good condition and unlikely to be damaged or disturbed then it is better to leave it in place and to introduce a system of management control.
- It will be necessary to produce an onward going management plan. This will list the actions you intend to take in light of the survey results — typically remove some items, encapsulate others. All items left in situ will have to be checked for any deterioration in their condition and the plan will detail this and assign responsibilities for ensuring that actions are completed. Whilst you may have in house staff with the knowledge to carry out these tasks.
For most duty holders it will be safer to commission a survey or appoint a company like AV Asbestos to undertake both the survey and the draft management plan.
Duty holders should also constantly keep in mind that if they undertake major renovation work (knocking into partition walls, removing ceilings etc.), a further more intrusive survey will be required (see The refurbishment and demolition survey).
Section 10 This highlights the requirement for asbestos awareness training for any staff likely to come across ACMs – typically maintenance staff, electricians ad the IT department.
AV Asbestos can provide in house training for you based upon your particular requirements. Click here to find out more about our training services.
Apartment blocks and flats |
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Even though these may be thought of as being in the domestic realm the non-domestic regulations apply to the 'common areas' of such buildings.
Typically these will include the roof, the attic space, stairways, corridors, the boiler room, lift shafts, the outside of the building, any shared out-buildings (for example, garages) and meter cupboards.
Buy to let |
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Owners of houses or flats that are let out on the basis that the owner maintains responsibility for repair and maintenance are also subject to the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. See non-domestic regulations.
Types of survey |
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AV Asbestos surveys to the standards laid down by the Health and Safety Executive given in the guidelines HSG264, 'Asbestos: The survey guide'. This details two types of survey:
Overview
Management surveys are part of the safety monitoring process, and are used to control a site's day-to-day public space asbestos risk, as required by the CAR 2006 regulations.
However, if the duty holder is considering refurbishments and or a demolition that require some form of intrusive work (removing or breaking into a wall or ceiling for instance), then consideration must be given to a refurbishment and demolition survey, albeit local to the area in question.
The types of survey available changed in 2010 see: 2010 regulations changes
The following topics in this section cover the survey types defined by the the HSE's HSG264 Asbestos: The survey guide. You may want to see HSG264 for yourself.
PDF The regulations are also available in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. This is a facsimile of the printed version.
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To see the HSG264 Asbestos: The survey guide in PDF format — click here [PDF Size: 2.23 MB] |
| This will require Adobe Reader software. It is free and the latest version can be obtained from Adobe, click the button below to go to the Adobe website |
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Printed Printed copies of HSG264 Asbestos: The survey guide — ISBN 13: 9780717663859 are also available. These can be purchased directly from the Health and Safety Executives website.
The management survey's purpose is to locate — as far as reasonably practicable — the presence and the extent of any suspected asbestos containing materials (ACMs) that may disturbed during the day-to-day use of a building; including normal occupancy, routine maintenance, etc.
For public spaces, where ACMs may be present, management surveys are required under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006.
The presence of ACM does not necessarily mean that the material needs to be immediately removed. For example: asbestos, especially asbestos insulating board (AIB), was widely used as a firebreak. We have come across countless incidences where the AIB has been has been rendered safe by encapsulation — over-clading with plasterboard or other non-asbestos material. When in good condition, it can be left in place, and then just checked for deterioration from time-to-time.
In practical terms, a management survey assesses any ACMs and their ability to release airborne fibres. This assessment gives most of the data needed for an asbestos management plan. ACMs that are unlikely to release airborne fibres, as noted before, do not have to be removed, only systematically monitored.
This type survey normally involves sampling and analysis of materials to confirm the presence or absence of asbestos in them. However, a management survey can also rely on the surveyor's experience to determine the likely presence or absence of asbestos without sampling; for example, a surveyor recognises a manufactured heating system flue component that he or she knows contains asbestos.
Therefore, a management survey may be:
- a combination of testing possible ACMs, and presumptions about materials that are likely to contain asbestos; or
- a set of ACM presumptions only.
Any material presumed to contain asbestos must have its condition assessed. If the ACMs are in good condition, and therefore will not release airborne fibres, it does not have to be removed, but its presence does need to logged into the sites asbestos management plan.
Where presumed ACMs are found, additional testing may be deferred until the material needs to be disturbed, for example during building work. However, should the presumed ACM in fact not contain asbestos, the duty-holder will have to bear the cost of managing it as if it were an ACM. This may include when a falsely suspected ACM condition is poor or it needs to be removed, obviously, its treatment must be as if it contain asbestos and therefore more costly. Sampling may take place simultaneously with the management survey, or may be carried out later.
Where it is reasonably practicable, all areas should be inspected including area such as: cellars, false ceilings, lift shafts, service ducts, etc. Any areas not surveyed must be presumed to contain asbestos and must be clearly stated in the report.
Management surveys take into account the need to undertake routine maintenance work. However, where there are presumed ACMs and more substantial work is to be carried-out, an additional and specific refurbishment and demolition surveys is needed.
The refurbishment and demolition survey
Refurbishment and demolition surveys are needed before any non-routine refurbishment; demolition work; or substantial plant removal or dismantling. This type of survey is also applicable where a building's layout is to be changed, for example: the removal of partitions, cubicles, etc.
Unless part of a protracted process, the condition of the ACMs (asbestos containing materials) is not to be assessed, as it will normally be removed.
These surveys are useful to architects, structural engineers, and contractors involved in commissioning, building, and design processes; as well as the tendering process for removal of ACMs.
These surveys detail all of the ACMs where the work will be done. The survey must include all of areas affected, and where necessary, it will include fully intrusive and destructive inspection of hard-to-access areas, which may not have been included in a management survey.
In general, destructive inspections can only be conducted in areas unoccupied by the public or employees to risk; and area must be safe before it is re-occupied.
The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 requires all ACMs, where practical, to be safely removed before major refurbishment or final demolition.
2010 regulations changes |
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[For reference only]
Although the main regulations (Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006) are unchanged, new guidelines have been issued by the Health and Safety Executive regarding the surveying of asbestos these are known as 'HSG264 — Asbestos: The survey guide'.
AV Asbestos used to work to the HSE's standard known as MDHS 100 (Methods of Determining Hazardous Substances 100). (AV Asbestos now to work to the new HSG264 guidelines for surveying asbestos.)
Many may still require information on these regulations. However, they are only shown here for reference and are no longer applicable. The three types of survey were:
[For reference only] Type 1: Location and assessment survey (presumptive survey), now covered by the management survey.
This type of survey was to locate the presence and extent of any presumed asbestos containing materials (ACMs). This deferred to the need to sample any suspected materials and all areas should have been inspected where possible. Any material that was assumed to contain asbestos must have been assessed.
In this type of survey no actual sampling was carried out, so there was no positive identification of asbestos containing materials (ACMs). However, the purpose of the survey was to locate, as far as reasonably practicable, presumed ACMs and assessed the extent to which they were used and their condition. In this case, you may have found that you were bearing the cost for managing materials that do not contain asbestos, as you presumed that any material, which could be reasonably expected to contain asbestos, did so, and treating it as such for future work. In this case you could only exclude materials if you were completely confident that they did not contain asbestos i.e. glass, metal or wood (although asbestos may have been hidden by them).
During this survey, all areas should have been inspected as far as reasonably practicable or else must have been presumed to contain asbestos. The condition of all materials which are presumed to be asbestos must have been assessed.
[For reference only] Type 2: Standard sampling, identification and assessment survey (sampling survey), now covered by the management survey.
This was an extended type 1 survey, that took representative samples under controlled conditions for analysis. This became the standard survey. Under the new guidelines the standard survey is likely to become the 'refurbishment and demolition survey'.
The procedures used for this type of survey are the same as for a Type 1, however in this case representative samples of the asbestos containing materials (ACMs) were collected and analysed to confirm or refute the presence of asbestos. Sampling may have taken place simultaneously with the survey or be carried out after the Type 1 survey was completed. Condition of the ACMs in question also had to be assessed.
[For reference only] Type 3: Full access sampling and identification survey (pre-demolition/major refurbishment survey) replaced by the refurbishment and demolition survey.
This was a fully intrusive survey; which meant the surveying of concealed areas and voids, that were not accessible earlier in a type 2 survey. This survey was particularly required before demolition or major refurbishment works, but was also be necessary when removing walls and ceilings. This was often used to form the basis of a tender for the removal of asbestos containing materials (ACMs).
This survey may have involved destructive inspection to gain access to all areas of the building to locate and describe, as far as reasonably practicable, all asbestos containing materials (ACMs) in the building. A full sampling programme was undertaken to identify ACMs and the extent to which they were present (volume and surface area). As this type of survey was designed to be used as a basis for tendering for the removal of ACMs before demolition or major refurbishment, an assessment of the condition of ACMs present was not necessary.
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To read a more detailed guide to the old guidelines: MDHS100 surveys — click here [PDF Size: 774kb] |
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Health |
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If you are worried about your health in any way — you should discuss it with your doctor .
Asbestos contains tiny fibres of mineral silicates. People who have worked extensively with asbestos (for example, repairing boilers, demolishing buildings, and asbestos removal workers), or who have lived close to asbestos factories, will have breathed in these fibres have and increased risk to their health.
The asbestos fibres are extremely irritating to the tissue of the lungs. They settle in the lungs and the lung tissue becomes thickened and scarred. This gradually makes it more difficult for oxygen to get from the atmosphere into the blood and for the waste gas carbon dioxide to be breathed out.
Asbestos may cause skin irritation, and problems such as asbestos warts.
The health section covers the following topics:
Asbestosis |
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Many years of exposure to asbestos are usually necessary to develop asbestosis. Typically this is 30-years, but it can be as long as 60-years and a short as 10-years.
Symptoms
The main symptoms of asbestosis are:
- increasing breathlessness, especially when exercising;
- coughing;
- chest pain; and
- a feeling of tightness in the chest.
Asbestosis may damage the function of the lungs so much that the condition progresses to respiratory (breathing) failure. At this stage the oxygen supply to the body is so poor that the patient is always breathless and has blue-tinged skin (cyanosis) even when at rest in bed.
Other symptoms that sometimes occur are nail abnormalities and clubbing of the fingers. Clubbing is when the fingers become thicker and broader, and the tip of the nails curves
Treatment
It is not possible to reverse or cure asbestosis, although if caught early enough the worsening of the condition can usually be slowed or even stopped. The speed at which the condition progresses depends on several factors, such as how much asbestos has been breathed in, whether the disease has occurred very soon after exposure, whether there are other symptoms such as clubbing, and if the person smokes. The main treatment used in asbestosis is oxygen therapy, to try to increase the flow of oxygen into the body and counteract the effects of breathlessness.
Corticosteroids or immuno-suppressive drugs may be used to try to relieve symptoms. A procedure called thoracentesis, which involves draining fluid from the lungs, may make breathing earlier. Lung transplantation is not extensively used but it has occasionally had success in treating asbestosis. Stopping smoking can help to slow the progress of the condition and help to reduce the chances of lung cancer. People with asbestosis are particularly vulnerable to chest infections, so they should have the flu and pneumococcal vaccinations.
Mesothelioma |
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What is mesothelioma? Mesothelioma is a type of cancer effecting themesothelial
cells. These cells cover the outer surface of most of our internal body
organs, forming a lining that is sometimes called the mesothelium, hence its name.
Mesothelioma cancer can develop in the tissues covering the lungs or the abdomen.
Mesothelioma
in the chest The tissues lining (or covering) the lungs are called
the 'pleura'. These are called the 'pleural
membranes', the gap between them is called the 'pleural space'. The
pleura are fibrous sheets and help to protect the lungs. They
produce a lubricating fluid that fills the gap between the two pleura.
This helps the lungs to move smoothly in the chest when they are inflating and
deflating as we breathe.
Mesothelioma is most often diagnosed in the pleura. This is known as 'pleural mesothelioma'. Because it is so close,
pleural mesothelioma can also affect the sheet of tissue covering the heart -
the 'pericardium'. Doctors call the pericardium the lining, although it is
on the outside of the heart. It protects the heart and allows it to move
smoothly within the sack that surrounds it. So it does much the same job
for the heart as the pleura do for the lungs.
How common is mesothelioma Mesothelioma is quite a rare cancer, but it is becoming more common. In the UK, just over 2,100 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma in the each year. There are about 4 times as many cases in men as in women. This is probably because many cases have been caused by exposure to asbestos at work.
Asbestos
and mesothelioma Unusually for cancer, we do know what causes the majority of cases of
mesothelioma. It is most often linked to exposure to asbestos. We
have known of a link between asbestos and lung disease since the beginning of
the 18th century. But the link with mesothelioma has only been known
since the 1960s. Unfortunately, the number of cases of mesothelioma in
the each year is expected to rise sharply over the next 20 years because of the
heavy use of asbestos in industry from the end of the second world war up until the mid-1970s.
Between 7 and 8 out of every 10 people (70–80%) diagnosed with mesothelioma say
they have been in contact with asbestos. Your risk is greater if you were
exposed to large amounts of it from an early age for a very long period of
time. But, there are some patients that say they have no history of
any heavy exposure to asbestos.
Note: Many people who develop mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure may be eligible
for compensation. You should talk to a solicitor about this as early as
possible.
Symptoms
In its early stages, mesothelioma does not have many symptoms.
When symptoms do develop, they are often caused by the cancer growing and pressing on a nerve or other body organ.
The symptoms of pleural mesothelioma are:
- pain in the lower back or the side of the chest;
- a persistent cough;
- shortness of breath;
- a hoarse or husky voice;
- losing more than 10% of your weight when not dieting;
- sweating and fevers; and
- difficulty swallowing.
These symptoms are all more likely to be caused by some other illness, rather than by mesothelioma. But if you have these symptoms, see your doctor. This is particularly important if you have been exposed to asbestos in the past.
Treatment
Unfortunately there is no cure for mesothelioma so that treatment is (as with other such cancers) designed to relieve symptoms and slow down the advance of the disease.
Lung Cancer |
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Cancer Asbestos fibres can also cause the more regular forms of lung cancer and the combination of smoking and exposure to asbestos fibres can increase the risk by a factor of 50.
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Asbestos is a term applied to a family of mineral rocks which are mined and then crushed to produce the raw fibres.
When combined with other materials these fibres add strength and heat resistance.
The what is it? section covers the following topics:
Types of asbestos |
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There are many types of asbestos. However, the three main types of asbestos are (see Figure 1):
- crocidolite (blue asbestos, fibre type: amphibole);
- amosite (brown asbestos, fibre type: amphibole); and
- chrysotile (white asbestos, fibre type: serpentine).
Of these, the blue and the brown are the most dangerous because of the barbed effect of their fibres means that they can become snared in the lungs.
As the fibres are resistant to the body’s chemical dissolving mechanisms, they cannot be removed.
The white fibres are less dangerous due to the absence of barbs.
History |
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Modern mining of asbestos and usage of asbestos began in the 1890s although its properties where known and used by both the ancient Greeks and the Romans.
By the 1920s, companies like Turner & Newell, and Cape Asbestos where adding asbestos fibres to cement and other materials to produce a range of inexpensive building products which went on to be used extensively from 1950s through to the 1980s.
As the health implications of asbestos usage began to be revealed, the importation and manufacture of asbestos products was progressively banned. Starting with crocidolite (blue) and amosite (brown) in 1985, finishing with chrysotile (white) in November 1999.
Most asbestos is of low risk and can be safely managed where it is until such time as a building is refurbished or demolished. However, if the material is one of the higher risk type (loose insulation, sprayed insulation or asbestos insulating board (AIB), then consideration may have to be given to removal.
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