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Asbestos exists in millions of buildings worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 125 million people worldwide could be exposed to it. It poses a severe threat to people’s health when not managed properly. Workers can breathe in the fibres, which can become stuck in the lungs. Over time, this can cause serious illnesses, including fatal cancers.
The common ones used were:
> chrysotile (white asbestos)
> amosite (brown asbestos)
> crocidolite (blue asbestos).
Anthophyllite, actinolite and tremolite asbestos were less commonly used.
> Asbestos millboard and papers – these have been used in specialist applications such as insulating electrical equipment and can contain high levels of asbestos.
> Asbestos yarns – used for fire protective clothing, gloves and fire blankets, ropes, gaskets and packing materials. Cloth containing asbestos has also been used in ceramic fuse holders behind fuse wires.
> Fibre cement – widespread use for roofing, wall cladding, soffit boards, boiler flues, gutters, pipes, tanks and bath panels. Fire bricks, lintels and surrounds were also made from asbestos cement.
> Floor tiles, gaskets, bitumen, felts – where floor tiles have been bonded to the floor using bitumen there is often a residue of fibres left in the bitumen when the tiles are removed.
> Insulating boards – these were produced to provide low-density, low-cost, fire-resistant insultation in many buildings. Asbestos can be found in ceiling tiles, partition walls, firebreaks, soffit boards and heater cupboards.
> Laggings – used to prevent heat loss or heat transfer to surrounding areas. Found on boilers, pipes and other plant items.
> Mastics, sealants, putties and adhesives – used in boiler systems to attach insulation or fill gaps.
> Reinforced plastics – including reinforced handles, automobile parts, housing for electronic equipment and toilet cisterns.
> Spray coatings – used for fire protection on structural steel beams, trusses and girders, but also to prevent condensation inside buildings and for acoustic control. The coating comprised a thin layer of cement and fibre mixture applied by high-pressure spray.
> Textured coatings and paints – often used to decorate walls and ceilings.
Exposure to asbestos is a higher risk for those who work in:
Workers in these sectors usually encounter asbestos during maintenance, refurbishment or demolition activity.
In countries where asbestos is still used, other workers will be exposed, especially those involved in the manufacture, use or installation of products using asbestos-containing materials.
Plus, workers involved with infrastructure construction, emergency services or clean-up operations after a natural disaster will be at risk of occupational exposure to asbestos.
Harmful effects from asbestos have been reported in medical papers since 1924. But it was not until 1955 that breathing in asbestos fibres was shown to cause lung cancer and, in the 1960s, mesothelioma.
Blue and brown asbestos are the most harmful, but white asbestos can also cause asbestos-related diseases.