Hi,

Our garage roof is made of white asbestos corrugated sheets.
We live in a block of flats and all of the garages have this.

Is it very dangerous?
One owner is replacing his by himself and has left the old roof in the
garage for a few days, is this dangerous?

Thks

Clarence Kay wrote

Hi,

Our garage roof is made of white asbestos corrugated sheets.
We live in a block of flats and all of the garages have this.

Is it very dangerous?
One owner is replacing his by himself and has left the old roof in the
garage for a few days, is this dangerous?

All asbestos is dangerous to a degree, but white asbestos, or Crysotile to give
it its proper name, is the least dangerous of the three types. Corrugated roof
sheeting is a mixture of cement reinforced with asbestos fibres. Normally
Crysotile was used for this, but there is no guarantee that other, more
dangerous, types were not used, so it should be treated with respect. It can be
removed and disposed of quite safely by a DIYer by following these basic rules:

• Prepare the work area - remove any unnecessary items, cover the floor and
surfaces with disposable polythene sheeting.
• Wear protective clothing- disposable overall with hood, disposable paper face
mask (for use with asbestos) and rubber or disposable gloves.
• Damp down - use a plant sprayer or hosepipe but don't soak the area as this
will make cleaning up more difficult.
• Remove the asbestos without breaking it up, wrap in polythene sheeting or bags
and seal with tape. Never saw or drill asbestos cement.
• Visually inspect the area and clear up any debris by hand - wipe down with
disposable damp cloths. Never use a vacuum cleaner as this will just spread dust
around.
• Pick up polythene sheeting and remove protective clothing and dispose of both
as asbestos waste.
• Telephone your local council to enquire whether they have a dedicated enclosed
skip anywhere. If not you will need to contact a waste disposal contractor.
• Wash hands and face thoroughly after the job is completed.

HTH
Peter

On Sat, 24 Jan 2004 20:22:56 -0000, "Clarence Kay"
wrote:

Our garage roof is made of white asbestos corrugated sheets.
We live in a block of flats and all of the garages have this.

Is it very dangerous?

No. It is the very common asbestos cement.

One owner is replacing his by himself and has left the old roof in the
garage for a few days, is this dangerous?

No.

--
Peter Parry.
http://www.wpp.ltd.uk/

"Clarence Kay" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Our garage roof is made of white asbestos corrugated sheets.
We live in a block of flats and all of the garages have this.

Is it very dangerous?
One owner is replacing his by himself and has left the old roof in the
garage for a few days, is this dangerous?

Thks


Asbestos is only a problem when it is broken, its the fibres that it is made
of that are dangerous, so therefore as long as your roof is in one piece,
it's a very useful material.

If you want to remove it yourself, ensure that the area is soaked, to avoid
the fibres escaping if it breaks, and wear protective clothing, including a
sufficiently graded mask.

There are skip companies that provide skips for asbestos removal, they are
more expensive than a regular skip (we were quoted £400 +vat) but it saves
you using your own car to transport it.

"Clarence Kay" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Our garage roof is made of white asbestos corrugated sheets.
We live in a block of flats and all of the garages have this.

Is it very dangerous?
One owner is replacing his by himself and has left the old roof in the
garage for a few days, is this dangerous?

Thks

Although it might be white / Grey in colour this does not mean it is 'white'
asbestos. I have seen 'blue' asbestos used as corrugated roof sheets. This
is when all the adjoining houses had 'white' asbestos sheets.

You can only be certain when samples are taken and tested. 'Blue' asbestos
is far more dangerous that 'white' However Peter's advice is still good and
sound practice for the limited exposure for this job.


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Clarence Kay wrote:

Hi,

Our garage roof is made of white asbestos corrugated sheets.
We live in a block of flats and all of the garages have this.

Is it very dangerous?


No.


One owner is replacing his by himself and has left the old roof in the
garage for a few days, is this dangerous?


No.


Thks

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
Clarence Kay wrote:

Hi,

Our garage roof is made of white asbestos corrugated sheets.
We live in a block of flats and all of the garages have this.

Is it very dangerous?


No.


It is relative as to dangerous to who ? you or the person exposed to
contamination. Im sure the HSE would take a very different view, especially
if the work was be done by a unlicencesed contractor.


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On Mon, 26 Jan 2004 16:59:54 GMT, "Space Cowboy"
wrote:



It is relative as to dangerous to who ?

No one.

Im sure the HSE would take a very different view, especially
if the work was be done by a unlicencesed contractor.

Care to point out any prohibition on someone removing asbestos cement
roofing themselves?

--
Peter Parry.
http://www.wpp.ltd.uk/

"Peter Parry" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 26 Jan 2004 16:59:54 GMT, "Space Cowboy"
wrote:



It is relative as to dangerous to who ?

No one.

Im sure the HSE would take a very different view, especially
if the work was be done by a unlicencesed contractor.

Care to point out any prohibition on someone removing asbestos cement
roofing themselves?

Quote 'if the work was be done by a unlicencesed contractor'

I did not mention doing the work themselves did I ? . But never mind just
another one of over 3000 people a year who die from exposure to asbestos.(
http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/index.htm ). Glad i don't touch the stuff
myself, just one little fibre and then a slippy slope to a messy death. But
as you said it is safe. Which is why every single landlord, property
manager, property agent etc etc has to inform his or her occupants about the
risk of asbestos and where it could be found.


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On Mon, 26 Jan 2004 20:54:34 GMT, "Space Cowboy"
wrote:


I did not mention doing the work themselves did I ? . But never mind just
another one of over 3000 people a year who die from exposure to asbestos.

Are you aware or do you have any reference to even one single death
attributable to asbestos cement?

Glad i don't touch the stuff myself,

You have and you do - you just don't know about it.

just one little fibre and then a slippy slope to a messy death.

Is that why Canada and South Africa are so sparsely populated?

--
Peter Parry.
http://www.wpp.ltd.uk/

I did not mention doing the work themselves did I ? . But never mind
justanother one of over 3000 people a year who die from exposure to
asbestos.

Are you aware or do you have any reference to even one single death
attributable to asbestos cement?

No but since the HSE are the experts and the figure quoted is from them i
would think it is fairly reliable.

Glad i don't touch the stuff myself,

You have and you do - you just don't know about it.

Good point, but i never put myself in the situation where i could be
contanimated.




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On Mon, 26 Jan 2004 22:46:31 GMT, "Space Cowboy"
wrote:


No but since the HSE are the experts and the figure quoted is from them i
would think it is fairly reliable.

Those figures do not attribute a single death to asbestos cement.

Glad i don't touch the stuff myself,

You have and you do - you just don't know about it.

Good point, but i never put myself in the situation where i could be
contanimated.

You don't breath? Neat :-). If your nonsensical claim that "just
one little fibre and then a slippy slope to a messy death" was true
the minimum acceptable exposure level should be zero. Is it?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral so the whole world’s
population is potentially at risk. In practice, because the risk from
small exposures is so low, only those who are regularly exposed are
significantly at risk.

--
Peter Parry.
http://www.wpp.ltd.uk/

Peter Parry wrote:
On Mon, 26 Jan 2004 22:46:31 GMT, "Space Cowboy"
wrote:
Good point, but i never put myself in the situation where i could be
contanimated.

You don't breath? Neat :-). If your nonsensical claim that "just
one little fibre and then a slippy slope to a messy death" was true
the minimum acceptable exposure level should be zero. Is it?

On average one inhales an asbestos fibre for every three cubic metres
of air breathed whilst in a town. The claim that "one fibre is lethal"
is pure nonsense.


Asher.

--
asher http://domestic1.sjc.ox.ac.uk/~ahoskins/
asher AT crumbly DOT
[life in plastic, it's fantastic!] freeserve DOT co DOT uk

Good post - covers it nicely.

My local council (Stirling) insists on the sheets being double bagged
and aparently (in Scotland at least) you have to get permission from
SEPA (Scottish Environmental Protection Agency) to transport asbestos
- last I checked, the certificate to do this cost £15. I've not got
round to doing it yet though...

Alan.

"Peter Taylor" wrote in message .. .
Clarence Kay wrote

Hi,

Our garage roof is made of white asbestos corrugated sheets.
We live in a block of flats and all of the garages have this.

Is it very dangerous?
One owner is replacing his by himself and has left the old roof in the
garage for a few days, is this dangerous?

All asbestos is dangerous to a degree, but white asbestos, or Crysotile to give
it its proper name, is the least dangerous of the three types. Corrugated roof
sheeting is a mixture of cement reinforced with asbestos fibres. Normally
Crysotile was used for this, but there is no guarantee that other, more
dangerous, types were not used, so it should be treated with respect. It can be
removed and disposed of quite safely by a DIYer by following these basic rules:

? Prepare the work area - remove any unnecessary items, cover the floor and
surfaces with disposable polythene sheeting.
? Wear protective clothing- disposable overall with hood, disposable paper face
mask (for use with asbestos) and rubber or disposable gloves.
? Damp down - use a plant sprayer or hosepipe but don't soak the area as this
will make cleaning up more difficult.
? Remove the asbestos without breaking it up, wrap in polythene sheeting or bags
and seal with tape. Never saw or drill asbestos cement.
? Visually inspect the area and clear up any debris by hand - wipe down with
disposable damp cloths. Never use a vacuum cleaner as this will just spread dust
around.
? Pick up polythene sheeting and remove protective clothing and dispose of both
as asbestos waste.
? Telephone your local council to enquire whether they have a dedicated enclosed
skip anywhere. If not you will need to contact a waste disposal contractor.
? Wash hands and face thoroughly after the job is completed.

HTH
Peter