Asbestos found after flood

A BIRSTALL homeowner discovered asbestos floor tiles when part of his house was flooded.

Repairs to his home, on the Allington Drive/Blenheim Road estate, were carried out by contractors appointed by his insurance company - they found asbestos in floor tiles beneath his wooden floor. The tiles needed to be removed by specialists.

He told the Birstall Post: “I know of another resident nearby who was flooded and had to have all of her flooring removed when they discovered asbestos. I think people on the estate should know that there may be asbestos in their property, and they should be careful about disturbing it.”

Asbestos can be found in any house or building built before the year 2000 as it was widely used in a variety of building materials.

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) publishes advice about asbestos in the home. It says: “If asbestos materials are in good condition, and in a place where they are unlikely to be disturbed, then they should not cause any harm.

“It is only when the materials are damaged or disturbed so that fibres are released, that asbestos can become a danger.”

The HSE says you should not try to repair or remove any asbestos materials yourself if you have not had any training for non-licensed asbestos work. You can seek advice from an environmental health officer at your local authority/council (see the Directgov website).

HSE advice states: “If you are sure (or strongly suspect) that your home contains asbestos materials then it is often best to leave them where they are – especially if they are in good condition and unlikely to get damaged. You should check the condition of the materials from time to time to make sure they haven't been damaged or started to deteriorate.”

You cannot tell if a material contains asbestos just by looking at it. Often it is not possible to see the fibres in an asbestos contain- ing material with the naked eye. The only way to confirm that the material contains asbestos is by having a sample tested by a specialist laboratory accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to ISO 17025 for carrying out asbestos bulk sample identification. Many ATaC members are UKAS accredited for this activity. A list of specialist laboratories that can carry out this service can be found at www.atac.org.uk

Asbestos can typically still be found in any of the following: asbestos cement products (pipes, flues, roofs etc) lagging (on pipes and boilers etc) water tanks and toilet cisterns asbestos insulating board (AIB – which closely resembles typical plasterboard) loose asbestos in ceiling and wall cavities sprayed coatings on ceilings, walls and beams/columns textured decorative coatings (commonly referred to as Artex) floor tiles textiles and composites