What are the health risks of asbestos during home retrofits, and how can they be avoided?

According to the UK Green Building Council, the UK has some of the “oldest and leakiest [houses] in western Europe,” with 29 million of them needing retrofitting in the next 25 years. Home retrofits are highly likely to disturb or damage asbestos-containing materials (ACMs), which are found throughout many older homes.

Asbestos exposure is extremely harmful to a person’s health, and many diseases don’t show symptoms for 10 or more years. Anyone in the home, whether that’s a resident, visitor or contractor, is at risk of asbestos-related diseases if they’re exposed to airborne fibres.

In this article, we’ll explain the risks of asbestos. We’ll also tell you how to avoid an asbestos exposure event during a home retrofit.

What are the health risks of asbestos exposure?

There are many different health risks associated with asbestos exposure. Unfortunately, many of them are life-threatening.

• Asbestosis: This scarring of the lung tissues can cause respiratory issues.
• Cancer: Asbestos can cause different cancers like mesothelioma and lung cancer.
• Pleural Effusion: This is when fluid builds up between the chest and the lungs.
• Pleural Plaque or Thickening: This is when there’s thickening of the lung lining.

It’s also possible that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can develop due to asbestos exposure.

When an ACM is disturbed, it can release microscopic asbestos fibres that are impossible to detect through sight or taste. When a person inhales or somehow ingests asbestos fibres, they can easily get stuck in the lungs. Sometimes, a specialist can detect the presence of asbestos fibres. Even then, though, it’s not always possible to remove them.

Asbestos is considered a category 1 carcinogen, meaning the fibres are extremely toxic to humans.

Why is asbestos a concern during home retrofits?

Though it was eventually discovered to be toxic, asbestos was once considered beneficial to residential and commercial construction projects. Several properties made asbestos sought-after for building projects:

• Chemical Resistance: Acids, alkalis and other chemicals don’t affect asbestos, making it useful for industrial environments.
• Durability: Asbestos fibres are strong, can stand up to a lot of tension, and resist wear and tear.
• Heat and Fire Resistance: Asbestos could be used as insulation and to fireproof building materials.
• Sound Absorption: Noise levels could be reduced by using asbestos for acoustic insulation.
• Versatility: Asbestos fibres are tiny and can be mixed with all sorts of building materials, including cement and plaster.

Asbestos can be found in several locations of a home, including insulating materials, structural components, cement, flooring, wall coverings, and soundproofing materials. Retrofit projects have a lot of drilling and demolition activities, which can easily disturb ACMs and release fibres.

How can homeowners identify the presence of asbestos before starting a retrofit?

An asbestos survey can identify where asbestos, and ACMs are located and their condition. This is a necessary step to take before any home retrofit project begins.

There are two main types of asbestos surveys:

Management Survey: This type of asbestos survey is only appropriate when managing regular use of the building, not before a retrofit project. The goal of a management survey is to ensure that the ACMs are being taken care of as needed to prevent an exposure event.

Refurbishment and Demolition Survey: Before a refurbishment project occurs, this type of asbestos survey is needed. It will determine which ACMs will be impacted by the project and need to be removed first.

It’s important to know that a Refurbishment and Demolition Survey may cause damage to ACMs. The asbestos team will block off the work area to prevent the spread of asbestos fibres.

What should contractors know about handling asbestos during retrofitting?

The Control of Regulations (CAR) 2012 includes all of the UK’s regulatory requirements for asbestos management. The Health and Safety Executive provides guidance to individuals and asbestos workers so they’re able to exercise asbestos safety and follow the guidelines in CAR 2012.

All types of asbestos work should be handled by a trained professional. However, certain asbestos projects specifically require a licensed contractor due to the high risk level of the work. Additionally, for any licensable work that’s planned, an enforcing authority must be notified a minimum of 14 days in advance.

Hiring asbestos workers with the proper experience, training and licensing ensures they’ll follow safe work practices and take protective measures to prevent anyone in the building from being exposed to asbestos.

How can asbestos exposure be avoided during home retrofits?

To avoid an asbestos exposure incident during a home retrofit, it’s crucial that asbestos management is part of the project plan and timeline.

Asbestos experts use a variety of best practices to minimise the risk of asbestos exposure, such as:

• Isolating and sealing off the work area so asbestos fibres can’t escape
• Creating a decontamination zone for workers to use at the end of each workday
• Keeping the air within and outside the work area safe by using negative air pressure units, ventilation, and HEPA filters
• Wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) like disposable clothing and respirators

You should never try to handle asbestos removal yourself. Instead, hire certified asbestos professionals who have the training, licensing and equipment necessary to encapsulate or remove the ACMs in your home.

What are the steps for safe asbestos removal and disposal?

First, you’ll need to hire a reputable asbestos removal contractor. Consider the following criteria:

• Certifications and licenses
• Experience in residential buildings
• Insurance coverage
• Reviews and references

Additionally, you’ll want to review the contractor’s plan for asbestos removal. These are the steps that should be part of every safe removal project:

• Initial assessment and comprehensive survey
• Detailed asbestos management plan
• Containing the work area and decontamination zones
• Equipment that keeps air safe for workers and prevents fibres from escaping
• Personal protective equipment and respiratory protective equipment
• Details about removal and disposal methods
• Cleaning and decontaminating the work area to ensure no asbestos fibres remain

When it comes to asbestos waste disposal, specific guidelines must be followed, and only licensed facilities that are set up to accept asbestos waste can be used.

How does effective communication enhance safety during asbestos management?

Before asbestos removal takes place, it’s important that the contractor and the homeowner have clear communication and know what to expect. Everyone must understand the risks and precautions of an asbestos removal project so they can protect themselves.

The asbestos contractor must inform the homeowner of ACMs found during the survey, clarifying potential risks and what should be done to solve the problem. Additionally, the homeowner should be aware of the PPE that workers will use, as well as the project timeline, including cleanup and post-removal air monitoring.

How can proper planning and coordination prevent asbestos-related health risks?

There are numerous benefits of detecting ACMs early and removing them before a refurbishment project begins:

• Accidental exposure can be prevented, which protects the health of occupants, visitors and workers.
• A comprehensive asbestos management plan can be created pre-work instead of trying to handle the unexpected presence of asbestos mid-project.
• Knowing where ACMs are ahead of time allows contractors to remove them in advance or avoid them whenever possible.
• Being able to plan for asbestos removal in advance means that the homeowner won’t have to deal with downtime during an emergency situation.
• Early detection can mitigate health risks and costs, which reduces the chances of unexpected expenses.

By detecting ACMs early, homeowners can protect everyone’s safety while reducing costs and having a smoother retrofit project ahead of them.

What are the long-term benefits of prioritising asbestos safety in retrofitting projects?

Aside from protecting everyone’s safety now and being able to forge ahead with a retrofit project, there are many long-term benefits to dealing with asbestos sooner rather than later:

• Showing that ACMs were encapsulated or removed can be a selling point for a property.
• Properties that have properly-managed asbestos materials typically have higher market values.
• Complying with safety standards helps you avoid fees or other penalties related to asbestos.
• Everyone who lives in your home will have a safer living environment moving forward.
• Future home projects will be much easier to carry out when ACMs no longer pose a problem.

In addition to these benefits of asbestos remediation, homeowners will also protect the environment, lower long-term costs, and have peace of mind at home.

Final thoughts about asbestos removal and home retrofits

Asbestos is a major concern during a home retrofit, and you should never ignore the presence of ACMs in your home or anywhere on your property.

The health risks associated with asbestos exposure are so dangerous and life-threatening that you should never neglect asbestos materials, even if they’re currently in good condition. A home retrofit project has the potential to damage any type of ACM, even if it hasn’t been disturbed in the past, and airborne fibres are extremely easy to inhale or swallow.

 

To prioritise the safety of your family and anyone else who lives in your home, call us today to discuss your home retrofit project.