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Asbestos in your home

What is asbestos?

Asbestos is the name given to a natural mineral made up of many small fibres. These are the main types of Asbestos:

Chrysotile (commonly referred to as white asbestos)
Amosite (commonly referred to as brown asbestos)
Crocidolite (commonly referred to as blue asbestos)

Asbestos fibres are strong and resistant to heat and chemicals. This is why they were used for heat and sound insulation and for fire protection in many homes and buildings in the past.

Is my home affected?

There is a good chance that asbestos is present in homes built between the 1950s and the late 1990s. It may also be found in homes before these dates. Asbestos was used in all sorts of materials found in homes.

It is impossible to determine whether a material contains asbestos by visual inspection alone, which is why our appointed asbestos surveyors also need to take material samples from your home for further laboratory analysis.

Can it affect my health?

Asbestos in your home is not necessarily dangerous. If it is in good condition and not disturbed, there is no risk to your health. A greater risk to health can arise when asbestos is damaged, or if the material is drilled, cut into, sanded, or scrubbed.

Do not start DIY work!

D.I.Y. (do-it-yourself) work on asbestos materials can result in brief but high levels of exposure which is dangerous. When asbestos is disturbed it may release dust containing fine fibres into the air. These fibres can be breathed deep into the lungs where they may stay for a long time, which could lead to a number of asbestos related illnesses including:

Asbestosis – this is scarring of the delicate lung tissue.
Lung cancer – people who get asbestosis may also develop bronchial cancer, although lung cancer is not necessarily preceded by asbestosis.
Mesothelioma – this form of cancer affects the membranous linings of the chest and abdomen.

Asbestos materials in good condition, that cannot be readily damaged, are usually best left alone.

This is because their removal may result in high levels of potentially harmful fibre being released into the air.

Why does this affect you?

Family Mosaic takes your health and safety very seriously. Most people have heard about how asbestos can be a health and safety hazard. We carry out any work related to asbestos with the highest regard to health and safety, and to the law and regulations surrounding it.