Asbestos in home?

[bobbi895]

I've recently started seeing loads of asbestos removal advertisements and it got me thinking about Asbestos in my home. I am renting a terraced house in Lancashire and when I look online it says the property was built around 1900-1930. (I don't know how accurate that is)

I came across posts online about artex ceilings having a high chance of Asbestos and I think most ceilings in my house have an artex ceiling. What's even worse is in the bathroom a bit of the ceiling has come away slightly, but from what I see I can only see plasterboard. I've just recently started panicing about all this as I have children in my home and I don't want them exposed to something so harmful. Is it strange if I emailed the estate agents of this property and ask them about it? Would they even have that kind of information?

 

[passingthrough]

Hi Bobby,

My first post after long lurking.
First question is how old is the house? Artex before late 1990s has higher chance of asbestos also it's only around 2%.
Also best thing if worried is overboard, then have skimmed.
You can get online testing kits quite cheaply if you Google them.

 

[bobbi895]

Hi Bobby,

My first post after long lurking.
First question is how old is the house? Artex before late 1990s has higher chance of asbestos also it's only around 2%.
Also best thing if worried is overboard, then have skimmed.
You can get online testing kits quite cheaply if you Google them.

Online it says 1900-1930 when I type in the postcode for the property.

 

[koolpc]

Dont panic!!!!

If you are concerned get a test kit online.

 

[passingthrough]

It's such a low risk, also the ceiling wasn't artexed then.
I'd simply PVA over it and paint over. It's only a slight risk (it's white asbestos) if sanded

 

[bobbi895]

It's such a low risk, also the ceiling wasn't artexed then.
I'd simply PVA over it and paint over. It's only a slight risk (it's white asbestos) if sanded

What makes it low risk? Do you think it'd be strange for me to contact the estate agency to ask if they have anymore information on it?

 

[Goodie]

because this doesn't look suss.

 

[bobbi895]

because this doesn't look suss.

What do you mean suss?

 

[Slam62]

Yeah but it might be elsewhere and there might be lead pipes. But you know there’s thousands of these houses and it hasn’t been an issue up to now.

 

[Grim5]

Asbestos is generally ok as long as you don't touch it, just leave it be. But if you do have to renovate get professionals

 

[bobbi895]

It's such a low risk, also the ceiling wasn't artexed then.
I'd simply PVA over it and paint over. It's only a slight risk (it's white asbestos) if sanded

Why is it low risk?

 

[Stu999]

Why is it low risk?

Because the asbestos itself is bound in the coating (artex) so won’t go anywhere unless you start drilling it or something.

That’s compared to something like loose asbestos fibre loft insulation.

 

[bobbi895]

Because the asbestos itself is bound in the coating (artex) so won’t go anywhere unless you start drilling it or something.

That’s compared to something like loose asbestos fibre loft insulation.

Okay thanks for educating me on that! I'm completely ignorant to this stuff and a massive worrier mainly for my kids.

 

[Purples]

Hi Bobbi

I've recently purchased a 1930s bungalow which was renovated and extended in 1967.

I had a small roof leak in the extention and the celing boards were swelling a little at the joins.

I had a further minor leak in the attic, and noticed an unusual brittle coating that had been sprayed over the underside of the roof and plasterboard linings.... I then started to worry!

I was worried that the entire extention was built with ACM (asbestos containing materials)along with the alterations to the main house during this period which was at the height of asbestos use.

My suspicions arose due to the fact the previous owner seemed to have 'encapsulated' or blocked in / covered over almost every surface in the house rather than ripping out historic materials originating from the 1967 upgrade..

Encapsulating is often the preffered way of dealing with ACM, as removal can cost tens of thousands of pounds.

I fell down a rabbit hole googling and scouring asbestos forums and convinced myself that every ceiling and wall in the house contained asbestos, and was worried sick about the health of my partner and toddler.

Suspected asbestos ;

1) heavy textured artex type wall coating in vestibule - the wall contained an open gash with asbestos like fibres visible.

2) one celing had evidence of heavy sanding, I was convinced it had previously been artexed. Every other celing in the house was papered, leading me to worry that all the celings contained asbestos and encapsulated by the previous owner..



3) I was convinced all the celings and walls throughout the extention were made from asbestos insulating board (AIB) as these were sometimes used instead of plasterboard for their insulating and fireproofing properties..

4) I was convinced without a doubt that the old heating cupboard was lined with asbestos insulating board... as the circumstances seemed ' textbook'

5) I was convinced without a doubt that the brittle sprayed popcorn coating on the attic wall and celing plasterboards were asbestos... used for insulating and fireproofing property to the underside of the roof...


I had a specialist come out - everything was tested, everything came back NEGATIVE.

The specialist suggested it's unusual to find asbestos in such domestic properties generally - but the most common being artex, which is white asbestos (1-5%)

There are figures out there that suggest that you would have to scrape and sand over 200,000 artex celings to reach your maximum lifetime safe asbeatos exposure from the stuff generally found domestically.

Please note that asbestos insulating boards (AIB) contain high levels (>50%) of the bad brown/ blue asbestos types

and pipe lagging insulation is some of the worst asbestos there is with mixtures of white/brown/blue with very high 90% content.


Hope this helps

 

[Deleted User 298457]

because this doesn't look suss.

Yes

 

[Goodie]

eagerly awaiting user Asbestos_remover, joined Nov 2023, posts 0 to appear with links to asbestos removal website.

 

[dholdi]

As others have already said the nasty stuff was rarely used in domestic properties.
We have nasty stuff in many of the boiler rooms at work.
Apparently they used to apply it to pipework by hand any left on their fingers when they finished they rolled up and flicked onto the walls.
We had properties surveyed many years ago and any in boiler rooms was just encapsulated ( painted )
As long as it not disturbed its no risk.

 

[bobbi895]

Hi Bobbi

I've recently purchased a 1930s bungalow which was renovated and extended in 1967.

I had a small roof leak in the extention and the celing boards were swelling a little at the joins.

I had a further minor leak in the attic, and noticed an unusual brittle coating that had been sprayed over the underside of the roof and plasterboard linings.... I then started to worry!

I was worried that the entire extention was built with ACM (asbestos containing materials)along with the alterations to the main house during this period which was at the height of asbestos use.

My suspicions arose due to the fact the previous owner seemed to have 'encapsulated' or blocked in / covered over almost every surface in the house rather than ripping out historic materials originating from the 1967 upgrade..

Encapsulating is often the preffered way of dealing with ACM, as removal can cost tens of thousands of pounds.

I fell down a rabbit hole googling and scouring asbestos forums and convinced myself that every ceiling and wall in the house contained asbestos, and was worried sick about the health of my partner and toddler.

Suspected asbestos ;

1) heavy textured artex type wall coating in vestibule - the wall contained an open gash with asbestos like fibres visible.

2) one celing had evidence of heavy sanding, I was convinced it had previously been artexed. Every other celing in the house was papered, leading me to worry that all the celings contained asbestos and encapsulated by the previous owner..



3) I was convinced all the celings and walls throughout the extention were made from asbestos insulating board (AIB) as these were sometimes used instead of plasterboard for their insulating and fireproofing properties..

4) I was convinced without a doubt that the old heating cupboard was lined with asbestos insulating board... as the circumstances seemed ' textbook'

5) I was convinced without a doubt that the brittle sprayed popcorn coating on the attic wall and celing plasterboards were asbestos... used for insulating and fireproofing property to the underside of the roof...


I had a specialist come out - everything was tested, everything came back NEGATIVE.

The specialist suggested it's unusual to find asbestos in such domestic properties generally - but the most common being artex, which is white asbestos (1-5%)

There are figures out there that suggest that you would have to scrape and sand over 200,000 artex celings to reach your maximum lifetime safe asbeatos exposure from the stuff generally found domestically.

Please note that asbestos insulating boards (AIB) contain high levels (>50%) of the bad brown/ blue asbestos types

and pipe lagging insulation is some of the worst asbestos there is with mixtures of white/brown/blue with very high 90% content.


Hope this helps

Thanks this has eased my mind a bit

 

[Purples]

Thanks this has eased my mind a bit

Just a bit? That post took a fair bit more effort than just a bit!

You are worried about your families health.


Take control of the situation, get off the forum and go and Google your local asbestos surveyor and book in a testing appointment.

I was £120 callout with 1 test, each test £20 thereafter.

The relief of finding out is worth the money.

Forget about the factor or landlord, they will be slow and useless, the only way you will put your mind at ease is taking control and arranging testing.

If the celing is asbestos, you should then paint the damaged / frayed edges to encapsulate any loose fibres, and then I'd contact the letting agency for repairs.

You are worried about your families health.

 

[bobbi895]

Just a bit? That post took a fair bit more effort than just a bit!

You are worried about your families health.


Take control of the situation, get off the forum and go and Google your local asbestos surveyor and book in a testing appointment.

I was £120 callout with 1 test, each test £20 thereafter.

The relief of finding out is worth the money.

Forget about the factor or landlord, they will be slow and useless, the only way you will put your mind at ease is taking control and arranging testing.

If the celing is asbestos, you should then paint the damaged / frayed edges to encapsulate any loose fibres, and then I'd contact the letting agency for repairs.

You are worried about your families health.

It was a great post with a lot of useful information and I appreciate it a lot. I'm ignorant on the subject so my main concerns are just always "what if its damaged in places and i'm unaware of being exposed to fibres" but like you say I'd need to find out even if it is asbestos first. It's an old house but all the ceilings are artex. My dad actually drilled a hole into the kitchen ceiling to help with some wiring and it all just plays on my mind. I really do appreciate your post a lot.