Myths About Asbestos

We travel across Northern Ireland carrying out asbestos surveys and it is surprising the myths about asbestos that are told. We try to clear some of them up in this article.

Myths About Asbestos

Asbestos was removed from buildings years ago when it was banned?

This is absolutely not true. A survey carried out by the Health & Safety Executive in 2014 found that only 15% of people knew that asbestos was still being used in construction in the UK until the year 2000.

If you find asbestos in your home you must have it removed as soon as possible.

Not true at all. In fact if you disturb asbestos in your home you will release harmful fibres into the air and this is far more dangerous than just leaving it alone. If asbestos is left alone and not damaged then it does not pose a significant risk. However as asbestos surveyors we are always on hand to help if you need a survey or want us to test suspected asbestos samples.

Wearing a face mask will protect you from asbestos.

To protect yourself against microscopic asbestos fibres a specialist would use a complex face mask which has been designed specifically for this purpose. It needs to meet strict standards and a face mask from your local DIY store will not protect you from asbestos fibres. When working with asbestos, always call in an expert.

Asbestos is banned worldwide

Unfortunately not! You might be amazed to learn that asbestos is still being mined (at the time of writing this article) in Russia who produce nearly half of the worlds supply. Most of the asbestos is bought by India and China. In fact Canada is due to introduce a full ban on asbestos in 2018 according to the “ban asbestos Canada” website.

We hope that you have found this article useful and interesting. If you are based in Northern Ireland and would like an asbestos survey carried out then please contact Philip for a quote on 07702 332 333.