Asbestos Management

What Is Asbestos

Asbestos is a group of six naturally occurring fibrous minerals composed of thin, needle-like fibers. Exposure to asbestos causes several cancers and diseases, including mesothelioma and asbestosis.

Although asbestos strengthens and fireproofs materials, it is banned in many countries.

Asbestos Used In Many Areas

Because of its fiber strength and heat resistance asbestos has been used in a variety of building construction materials for insulation and as a fire retardant. Asbestos has also been used in a wide range of manufactured goods, mostly in building materials ( roofing shingles, ceiling and floor tiles, paper products, and asbestos cement products, ) friction products ( automobile clutch, brake and transmission parts ), heat-resistant fabrics, packaging, gaskets, and coatings. 

Where Asbestos May Be Found?

Non-Friable Asbestos Material

Generally, non-friable ACMs are less hazardous than friable ACMs. Non-friable asbestos materials are cementitious, resinated, plastic or bituminous. In their dry form, they cannot be crumbled, pulverised or reduced to fine particles by hand, thus it is harder for them to produce the asbestos fibres that constitute a serious health risk. In these materials, asbestos fibres are generally locked or embedded in the base material matrix. Therefore under normal usage conditions or in the course of normal handling, they usually do not release enough asbestos fibres to constitute a health risk.

In a dry state, non-friable asbestos materials usually have a density greater than 1 tonne per cubic metre (1000 kg/m3). They are hard, light grey and generally contain 10% to 15% asbestos fibres, but occasionally they can contain up to 40% asbestos fibres.

Examples of non-friable asbestos materials include:

• corrugated asbestos roof sheets
• asbestos wall cladding
• asbestos floor tiles
• asbestos vinyl sheets
• asbestos cement piping
• asbestos friction

Friable Asbestos Materials

Friable asbestos materials can be crumbled by hand, and their fibres are readily released into the air when disturbed. To completely contain airborne asbestos fibres, total enclosure for the work area and other strict control measures are necessary.

Any non-friable material in poor condition that has a high probability of being crumbled or pulverised during removal operations should be considered friable (e.g., roof sheets that are damaged or have been infested by mold or algae, and old gaskets that require scraping off during removal).

Examples of friable asbestos materials include:

• asbestos fibrous sprayed-on materials used for fire protection, anti-condensation and acoustic control purposes
• asbestos thermal insulation on boilers and pipes
• asbestos ceiling boards or wall panels
• cable

How Can People Be Exposed to Asbestos?

Asbestos fibers may be released into the air by the disturbance of asbestos-containing material during product use, demolition work, building or home maintenance, repair, and remodeling. In general, exposure may occur only when the asbestos-containing material is disturbed or damaged in some way to release particles and fibers into the air.