Asbestos sheeting on Georgian panel doors

[urowho]

I’ve got a house built in about 1750 with some original Georgian panel doors. It was divided for a bit in the 60s/70s and two of them have asbestos board fixed to the rear aspect within a frame (with the obligatory coat hook). One is a woven panel of asbestos the other looks like AIB.

Clearly the easiest thing is take the door off, double bag and take to the tip.

The one with the board on in particular would be very difficult to replace and quite a loss to the building.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of getting an asbestos contractor to remove the door, remove the asbestos off site, clean and return? As far as I can find out most seem cowboys.

The complicating factor is that I watched my dad die of mesothelioma. It wasn’t very nice.

Thanks for any help in advance.

 

[Feltwell]

There are plenty of contractors out there but, as you say, their quality is variable.

I read up on asbestos removal when I bought this house, as it had a garage clad in asbestos cement sheets. After reading the Health & Safety Executive advice, I took the garage down myself - wetted all the panels first, tried hard not to break them, wore the right mask and disposable oversuit then double bagged it all and took it to the council asbestos skip at the recycling centre in a trailer.

I appreciate given the history with your Dad, you may be reluctant to go down the DIY route, but it can be done safely if you take the doors off and do them outside - asbestos cement is nowhere near as nasty as the other sorts that were commonly used in industrial settings.

I haven't checked them - it was 10 years ago that I took my garage down - but here are the current HSE task sheets, should be something in here on asbestos.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/essentials/index.htm

 

[88v8]

As Felwell says, I wouldn't worry too much about solid asbestos.

The danger is when it becomes particulate.
If it's drilled or cut. Or fibrous as in lagging material.
Or the stuff which we've mentioned before - Philplug - which was a tube of asbestos fibres for putting screws into brick.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/A1d-Ephemera-1960-Advert-Philplug-Screwfix/323791603516?hash=item4b637bc73c:g:bAsAAOSwpeJcxcIs
I still have a couple of tubes, it works very well.

I also have some asbestos string that I used to wrap the petrol pipes of my Lanchester to prevent vapour lock.

And I removed an asbestos roof from a large shed that I wanted to alter, that was in ummm, 1981.

Like most H&S issues, reasonable concerns have been taken to quite irrational levels, fuelled of course by contractors wanting to make money from the process.

Just take the doors outside, and remove the sheet.
Then brush the doors, don't use a vacuum.
During the process, arrange yourself so that any dust blows away from you. The wind is your friend.

Ivor

 

[a twig]

Just take the doors outside, and remove the sheet.
Then brush the doors, don't use a vacuum.
During the process, arrange yourself so that any dust blows away from you. The wind is your friend.

With all due respect, you can't give advice like that on asbestos.

Wear a mask and a suit, double bag and dispose of all PPE and waste appropriately when you are done.

 

[Flyfisher]

Just take the doors outside, and remove the sheet.
Then brush the doors, don't use a vacuum.
During the process, arrange yourself so that any dust blows away from you. The wind is your friend.

With all due respect, you can't give advice like that on asbestos.

Wear a mask and a suit, double bag and dispose of all PPE and waste appropriately when you are done.

I tend to agree with Ivor. OK, I'm no expert, but from what I've read asbestos is a bit like x-rays. There may be no safe dose but the risks of low, intermittent exposure are negligible. Also, asbestos is completely safe while it remains bound up inside other materials. That's why asbestos-containing artex in the home is not dangerous until disturbed, when asbestos fibres may be released and inhaled. Same with cementitious asbestos sheets. Even then, if any disturbance occurs outdoors, the inhalation exposure will be minimal and the risk negligible. Indeed, the handling and disposal of cement sheets is deemed safe enough to be done by unlicenced persons, so make of that what you will.

Here's some interesting reading from a NZ government website: https://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/news-items/asbestos-advice-householders

I think Q2 is pertinent to this discussion:

"Q2 What is the health risk from exposure to asbestos?

Health risks from asbestos depend on a number of factors:

the amount of asbestos fibres in the air
how long your exposure lasts
how often you were exposed
the size of the asbestos fibres (they must be small enough to be breathed in)
the amount of time since your first exposure
the type of asbestos fibre.

People are more likely to experience asbestos-related diseases when they are exposed to higher concentrations of asbestos, are exposed frequently and over long periods of time.

The risk of developing asbestos-related diseases is very low for low-level short-term exposure in the home. This is because the risk of disease is directly related to the amount of asbestos and length of exposure. Short-term low-level exposure in the home is likely to pose negligible risk of disease.

Asbestos-related diseases generally occur in workers who have had heavy exposure over extended periods of time, such as people engaged in the manufacture of asbestos-containing material."



But of course everyone must decide for themselves and masks are very cheap these days (make sure they are FFP3 rated).

 

[a twig]

But of course everyone must decide for themselves and masks are very cheap these days (make sure they are FFP3 rated).

Exactly - the appropriate PPE is cheap and the safe procedures are simple to do - so why even consider exposing yourself to the risk when it is so easy to mitigate/avoid?

If the masks had platinum mesh and cost £1000 I could see the motivation, but you can get yourself a good mask and a disposable suit and still have change from £20 these days, so to my mind, you'd be daft not to protect yourself.

 

[Abi Cott]

My half face respirator is fitted with A2B2E1K1-P3 filters, which is possibly slightly overkill for DIY usage, but it only cost me £58 for the set up. I kinda view PPE like any other tool. If you're going to bother buying it you might as well make sure it's up to any job you throw at it.