Asbestos is a hidden killer. Fact. If you had said this to someone 70, 50 or even 30 years ago you would have been branded a nonsense talker. It is only recently that the dangers of the asbestos mineral have become apparent, with its use being totally prohibited in 1999. But why so? Where is the danger and what can be done to keep yourself at bay from risk?

It may help if we understand what exactly is meant by "asbestos". Asbestos is a collection of six silicate minerals that occur naturally in nature. They were all mined for commercial purposes because of their fantastic physical properties which include amazing tensile strength, sound absorption, and also excellent resilience to heat, electrical and chemical damage. You can see why asbestos was a favourite with builders and tradesmen back in the late 19th century.

So where is the danger?

The danger lies in the way the minerals are formed. They are formed containing long and thin fibrous crystals and it is these crystals or the inhalation of asbestos fibres that can cause unforeseen serious illnesses. Illnesses include malignant lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis. Best to stay away from that then.

The danger from asbestos arises when the material is moved or damaged. Asbestos dust and fibres are released into the air and provide a health risk for anyone in the surrounding area. There is a long period of time from the first exposure to asbestos dust and the beginnings of disease which makes matters worse as these is no immediate course of action/medication to take. This 'settling in' period of time can be anywhere between 15 and 60 years and during that time the process and disease can take a hold, for example asbestos can form a scar like tissue build-up in the lungs which could result in limited or even total loss of lung function. The figures today show that deaths caused by asbestos are common place to those who were exposed during the 50s and 60s, with many experiencing a slow and painful death that is mostly lung and breathing related.

Asbestos is responsible for over 3,500 related deaths per year and that figure is set to rocket to 10,000 over the next decade.

When asbestos is left untouched, unmoved and un-messed around with it is relatively harmless. It is the lack of knowledge of those who don't recognise the dangers when they work in and on the affected area. Exposure will happen when builders or other workers disturb asbestos containing materials (ACMs) during maintenance, demolition or refurbishment of buildings. It is then that the fibres get released into the air and get inhaled. Drilling corrugated cement roofs or removing/replacing ceiling tiles that have some asbestos content is common for the release of said fibres.

How can this be prevented?

Measures have been put into place to reduce the chance and risks to contractors, maintenance staff builders and the building occupiers becoming exposed to asbestos fibres. In 2004 the Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos at work Regulations act came into play which is there to impose a legal obligation on owners of a non domestic building to investigate whether asbestos is present or not. If it is there then adequate steps need to be made, such as condition monitoring, having a form of control set up and inform anyone who could possibly be at risk. This legislation is applicable to the "Duty Holder", this could be the building owner, tenant or possibly the landlord if the housing premises are commercially run.

It is believed that regardless of said regulations being put in place and having been there for more than a 12 months that as many as 50% of the properties that tend to be afflicted by the laws are still yet to complete their own asbestos assessment. Those who fail to conform with the legislation will leave themselves wide open to probable criminal prosecution by HSE inspectors. It is essential that you and those around you are not in danger from the threats that asbestos can bring.

To find out if your building is in risk it is a wise idea to complete an asbestos survey to see what ACMs are in place. Said report will also create a risk assessment to look at how likely it is that any asbestos fibres are released. There are three different types of asbestos survey, from Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 asbestos report all with different features, it is important that you know what report you need.