Definition: Asbestos (the word) was derived from a Greek adjective which means "inextinguishable".
Asbestos (as it is known today) is a composition which includes minerals with long thin fibrous crystals, which the Greeks termed a miracle mineral due to its soft and pliant properties, as well as its ability to withstand heat.
Brief: Asbestos became increasingly popular among manufacturers and builders in the late 19th century due to its resistance to heat, electricity and chemical damage, sound absorption and tensile strength. When asbestos is used for its resistance to fire or heat, the fibres are often mixed with cement or woven into fabric or mats. Previously used on electric oven and hotplate wiring for its electrical insulation, and also in buildings as a flame-retardant, insulating properties, tensile strength, flexibility, and resistance to chemicals. Asbestos is/ was used in brake shoes and gaskets for its resistance to heat.
History: The occupational risks which related to asbestos were originally reported in 1924 by Dr. Cooke (pathologist) who stated that asbestos workers are at risk due to the fibrous dust - which is a cause of chronic bronchitis and fibrosis.... nowadays referred to as asbestosis. Other reports (Merewether) stated that 15% of the workforce could be suffering from pulmonary fibrosis. This investigation resulted in improved regulation of the manufacturing of asbestos-containing products in the early 1930s.
Regulations included industrial hygiene standards, medical examinations, and inclusion of the asbestos industry into the British Workers' Compensation Act
Asbestos is said to be the biggest killer in the workplace.
The three main types of asbestos - blue, brown and white asbestos - can still be found in various buildings.
The HSE has determined that there is no safe level of exposure and all types are dangerous.
Approximately 5,000 people are killed every year from mesothelioma and asbestos related lung cancer, with this figure anticipated to double by the year 2010.
Indications are that up to a quarter of a million people in Britain may have died from asbestos exposures prior to any decline in this disease-related death rate.
Figures suggest that there may be as much as six million tonnes of asbestos still present in our schools, hospitals, ships, offices, factories and the homes we live in.
Importation, supply, and use of all asbestos throughout Britain has been banned.
Disposal: Only specialist licensed teams can carry out remedial works and risk assessments associated with any asbestos and or disposal of such.
Asbestos may be typically disposed of as hazardous waste in landfill sites, but can also be recycled by transforming it into harmless silicate glass. A process of thermal decomposition at 1000-1250°C produces a mixture of non-hazardous silicate phases, and at temperatures above 1250°C it produces silicate glass. Microwave thermal treatment can be used in an industrial manufacturing process to transform asbestos and asbestos-containing waste into porcelain stoneware tiles, porous single-fired wall tiles, and ceramic bricks.
The text and information contained below is reproduced from the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) website - with permission. This information is © Crown Copyright 2008.
Asbestos is the most lethal workplace killer in Great Britain
Every year 4000 people die of asbestos which is more than those in road traffic accidents. In Great Britain we are in the middle of an epidemic and it is expected that asbestos deaths will to peak to nearly 5000 which is a legacy from years gone by.
As part of the going asbestos awareness raising campaign and to mark National Action Mesothelioma Day, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is today launching a web video, "Asbestos the hidden killer" featuring Tom King a carpenter by trade, who has been diagnosed with the terminal lung cancer, mesothelioma.
The video can be viewed at www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/index.htm
Recent research conducted by HSE shows that young tradesmen, such as plumbers and electricians, know that asbestos is dangerous but just don’t believe that they are personally at risk. This campaign reminds tradesmen that unless they take precautions asbestos could kill them too.
Instead of enjoying his retirement now, Tom said of his condition mesothelioma, "It’s taken away 85% of what I do, my life has been cut short. If I had known of the dangers of the asbestos when I was younger I would have taken the right precautions. If I’m very lucky I’ll say I’ve got three years left, but it may just be a year."
Commenting on HSE’s ongoing asbestos awareness raising campaign, Judith Hackitt, Chair of the Health and Safety Commission said, "Every week twenty tradesmen die simply because they have breathed in asbestos fibres during the course of their work. The problem today is that we associate it with a problem that’s been and gone because asbestos is now banned. We regard asbestos as something a previous generation were exposed to.
There is a real risk that the younger generation entering the workforce today will think this does not apply to them but it does. If they work on any building built or refurbished before the year 2000 it could well contain asbestos."
Free Information packs are available from HSE’s Info Line 0845 345 0055.
The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2006 requires duty-holders to properly manage asbestos.
For further information on the control of asbestos regulations 2006 - please see
http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/regulations.htm
If you would like to download a copy of the HSE "Asbestos Kills: Protect Yourself" guidance publication - please click HERE (pdf - portable document format)
(Please Note: You will need to have Adobe Reader to view or download the pdf file.)
You can visit the HSE website directly via this LINK
ASBESTOS RISKS