Asbestos question

[sasha]

Hi all,

I've noticed a lot of people (not just here, but also on other forums and youtube videos) going into building where there is asbestos, white, brown, blue or some of each. Most of the people taking these pics and videos are wearing no respiratory protective gear at all.

I'm just wondering, how many of you guys and gals are aware of the risks to your health from asbestos? And for those who have no idea hopefully some of you can be educated today and hopefully take precautions in the future

You can find more information on asbestos here:

Asbestos Information Centre (AIC) | Asbestos Awareness

(I have nothing to do with this website).

 

[mookster]

This comes up every so often.

The vast majority of asbestos everyone encounters in their day to day lives (even in derelict buildings) is absolutely fine as long as it's not damaged or mucked about with. People seem to have the view that asbestos immediately becomes life threatening as soon as a building closes which is simply not the case.

Blue and brown type is very dangerous but also very rarely used in general building construction, and you would pretty much have to eat a panel of white asbestos for it to cause you any serious long term harm - short term exposure to white asbestos which hasn't been mucked about with will not kill you. The vast majority of cases of asbestosis come about from people who have worked for decades in close contact with the materials themselves. An hour or so walking around a derelict building which may or may not have a small amount of exposed asbestos won't do you any serious harm.

The thing to be much more aware of in derelict buildings is bird guano, which can and will cause anyone unlucky enough severe respiratory illnesses in the short term.

 

[SlimJim]

Ah this old chestnut! If in doubt, always wear a P3 mask. Standard stuff. Builders gloves to protect you from the bird poop, rat urine, mud, grease, etc. Sorted!

 

[sasha]

This comes up every so often.

The vast majority of asbestos everyone encounters in their day to day lives (even in derelict buildings) is absolutely fine as long as it's not damaged or mucked about with. People seem to have the view that asbestos immediately becomes life threatening as soon as a building closes which is simply not the case.

Blue and brown type is very dangerous but also very rarely used in general building construction, and you would pretty much have to eat a panel of white asbestos for it to cause you any serious long term harm - short term exposure to white asbestos which hasn't been mucked about with will not kill you. The vast majority of cases of asbestosis come about from people who have worked for decades in close contact with the materials themselves. An hour or so walking around a derelict building which may or may not have a small amount of exposed asbestos won't do you any serious harm.

The thing to be much more aware of in derelict buildings is bird guano, which can and will cause anyone unlucky enough severe respiratory illnesses in the short term.

I'm glad that it is often discussed! And i totally agree with you, not just asbestos that is dangerous but black molds etc etc etc also!

I do think your slightly playing it down though, exposure to asbestos (often worse in decaying derelict buildings) really is dangerous. You only have to inhale some fibres and your buggered. I think everyone should wear masks for explorations. I have had people in my family who have died from asbestos related illnesses so it's something close to my heart that i always like to make people aware of.

 

[krela]

I'm glad that it is often discussed! And i totally agree with you, not just asbestos that is dangerous but black molds etc etc etc also!

I do think your slightly playing it down though, exposure to asbestos (often worse in decaying derelict buildings) really is dangerous. You only have to inhale some fibres and your buggered. I think everyone should wear masks for explorations. I have had people in my family who have died from asbestos related illnesses so it's something close to my heart that i always like to make people aware of.

Again, you've made your point now. If you look at the bottom of the page there are links to information about all of these things. I agree that these are all things that people should be aware of but ultimately people can take responsibility for themselves.

 

[sasha]

Again, you've made your point now. If you look at the bottom of the page there are links to information about all of these things. I agree that these are all things that people should be aware of but ultimately people can take responsibility for themselves.

Yeah i've seen the links at the bottom now Doesn't hurt to put a gentle reminder peoples way sometimes though

 

[Derelictheart]

You cannot tell what type of asbestos it is by the colour.

 

[night crawler]

I'm reminded of this thread, forget the replies just read the first part
http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/general-stuff/21561-asbestos-cancer.html?highlight=Asbestos

 

[ReverendJT]

Yeah i've seen the links at the bottom now Doesn't hurt to put a gentle reminder peoples way sometimes though

I totally agree, having seen asbestosis first hand, I don't think people can be reminded enough.

 

[Dirus_Strictus]

You cannot tell what type of asbestos it is by the colour.

If it's fibrous or friable, coloured white, blue or brown - treat as asbestos, leave well alone and get out. That is all you need to know! I worked in an industry that used tons of all types of asbestos, identified it, monitored its removal and watched workmates who had been in the industry since their teens die.

If you enter a building containing asbestos without wearing FULL protective gear - mask, coveralls etc you are plain stupid. Just wearing a mask means that your normal daywear becomes contaminated with particles and these shed off after you leave - they will contaminate your car, home and family and chucking the old mask into the back of the car is a sure way of dislodging all the adhering fibres! Sadly that one fibre, lodged deep down in the lung probably will kill you thirty years down the line and you could inhale that in the first minute you entered the building or three hours later when you leave. This thread contains a lot of nonsense and indicates to me that people who have not received proper training are taking risks. Mesothelioma is a Very Unpleasant Death, protect yourselves properly and fully understand the enemy. I would also recommend any explorer of contaminated buildings has regular chest X-rays - I do and I was only surveying/photographing the sites etc, not working daily with the stuff - much the same exposure as somebody exploring an old site.

 

[smiler]

Any site that has a sign saying, DANGER ASBESTOS, I walk away from, just common sense I feel.
I also think that its good that someone brings the subject up for discussion now and again so Thanks Sasha

 

[mookster]

That's a good point that Dirus makes.

Wearing a mask is all well and good if you are worried, but that won't stop the fibres clinging to your clothes, shoes and anything else you have on you which makes a mask like putting a plaster over a stab wound. Short of wearing a full protective suit you will always be in danger of carrying fibres with you.

It's worth noting that the risk is reduced if buildings are damp (as abandoned buildings often are), the fibres tend to stick to ground level then and not float about in the atmosphere so much unless you purposely go and kick them up.

Another thing - what a lot of people take to be 'asbestos' panels on the sides and roof of industrial buildings is more often than not fibre-reinforced concrete sheeting, which when broken up can look very much like an asbestos-type substance to the unaware.

 

[Dirus_Strictus]

For those of you that can get into a really dark abandoned corridor, boiler room or similar enclosed space, there is a little experiment (based on an old method of estimating atmospheric dust densities) that can be very revealing. All you need is a three cell (C or D) Maglite or similar torch that will throw a sharp, narrow focused beam - Walk normally up and down the room/space a couple of times and then holding the torch at waist level, with the beam parallel to the ground, scan the beam around. What you see floating around in the atmosphere is what you are breathing in! Now it is quite true that walking through a dusty industrial space can make us cough and sneeze for a while, but have no lasting effects. Silicosis, 'black lung' and asbestosis are all lung diseases caused by scaring in the upper lobes of the lungs - they are very debilitating, causing severe shortness of breath and came about by being exposed to dusty atmospheres for long periods during work (usually). Sadly the very property that allows asbestos to be woven - the particular shape and size an strength of its fibres, makes it an ideal substance to be carried deep into our lungs and lodge into the inner linings. If that is all it did, unpleasant though the resultant cough is, it would be no different to any of the other dust related industrial illnesses. Sadly asbestos has the ability to produce a really nasty lung cancer - mesothelioma, which develops very slowly and is usually detected far to late, usually 25 to 35 years after exposure. Although modern X-ray testing regimes have reduced this in some cases. I have already mentioned in another asbestos thread, the story of a work colleague, who although an expert in all things asbestos for the BRB Eastern Region, still died from mesothelioma - caused by exposure in his late teens.

When asbestos was being used and manufactured into many types of products, it killed and destroyed the lives of workers and their families. Lets not, through ignorance and plain stupidity, allow this product to leave its mark on a very pleasant hobby.

 

[Cuban B.]

One for the asbestos connoisseur: https://www.flickr.com/photos/asbestos_pix/