Domestic Asbestos Removal

If asbestos is in good condition and not disturbed then it poses little risk to health – When materials that contain asbestos are disturbed or damaged, fibres are released into the air. When these fibres are inhaled they can cause serious diseases. These diseases will not affect you immediately; they often take a long time to develop, but once diagnosed, it is often too late to do anything. This is why it is important that you protect yourself now. Asbestos exposure is known to cause Mesothelioma, Asbestos-related lung cancer, Asbestosis and Pleural thickening.

Before its dangers were known, asbestos was often used in buildings for insulation, flooring and roofing and sprayed on ceilings and walls. It is now banned in the UK. Buildings constructed before the year 2000 may still have asbestos in them. If the asbestos-containing materials inside these buildings remain intact, they pose very little risk. It?s only when these materials are damaged or disturbed that tiny asbestos fibres can be released into the air and breathed into your lungs.

To identify if asbestos is present in your property you should have an asbestos survey carried out. This involves a qualified surveyor taking a look around the property taking samples where necessary and producing a report highlighting areas of the property which contain asbestos. If you are carrying out building works on a particular area of the property you can also have a sample taken to confirm if asbestos is present or not. Please contact us today if you wish to have an asbestos survey carried out or would like a sample taking.

The removal methods used with asbestos vary depending on the risk involved with the product. For higher risk materials, asbestos is removed under fully controlled conditions. This usually involves building an air tight enclosure around the work area which is then put under negative pressure to prevent the spread of any asbestos fibres during removal. Operatives will wear full body coveralls and air fed respirators whilst in the area. These methods require the contactor to hold a full asbestos license issued by the HSE. Please note unless classified as low risk by the HSE, it is illegal for contractors to remove asbestos without holding an asbestos license. For more information on how asbestos is removed you can check out our blog. Warning – Please seek advice before allowing any contractor to touch potential asbestos in your property. If disturbed or removed without correct control methods contamination can easily occur which could pose a serious health hazard and can be very expensive to rectify.

The time it takes to remove asbestos very much depends on the complexity of the project. Below are some example time frames of recent works carried out.

Single Asbestos Garage Roof – 1/2 a day – 1 day
Single Asbestos Ceiling (Insulation board ceiling) – 1-2 days
Asbestos Soil Pipe – ½ a day
Small Artex Ceiling – 1 day
Large Artex ceiling / multiple rooms – 2 days – 1 week+
Please contact us for an accurate timescale for your project