Asbestos

Asbestos

Every week on average, 20 tradesmen die from exposure to asbestos in the UK.

• Asbestos was extensively used as a building materials in the UK from the 1950's through to the mid-1980's. 
• It was used for a variety of purposes and was ideal for fireproofing and insulation.
• Any structure built before 2000 can contain asbestos. 
• Asbestos materials in good condition are safe unless asbestos fibres become airborne, which happens when materials are damaged. 
• When asbestos fibres are inhaled, they cause serious diseases which are responsible for around 4,500 deaths a year.  
• Asbestos-related diseases do not produce signs or symptoms immediately, so protection is essential to prevent contracting an asbestos-related disease in the future.
• Smokers exposed to asbestos fibres are at much greater risk of developing lung cancer.

What are asbestos fibres?

• They are present in the environment in Great Britain, and people are exposed to very low levels of fibres. A key factor in the risk of developing an abestos-related disease is the total number of fibres breathed in.
• Working on, or near damaged asbestos-containing materials or breathing in high levels of asbestos fibres, which may be many hundreds of times that of environmental levels increases the possibility of an asbestos-related disease.  

Four main diseases caused by inhalation of asbestos fibres

• mesothelioma (always fatal);
• lung cancer (always fatal);
• asbestosis (not always fatal, but it can be debilitating);
• diffuse pleural thickening (not fatal);