Asbestos in the home

Last modified 21/10/09 at 10:45

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a building product used until 1999 because it can reduce noise and improve heat efficiency. In most circumstance asbestos is safe if it is undamaged and remains sealed in a good condition.

There are six types of asbestos fibre found in building materials. The three most common types are:

• Chrysotile (white)
• Amosite (brown)
• Crocidolite (blue).

When assessing the risk to health it’s more important to know the type of material containing the asbestos than the type of asbestos.

Why is Asbestos Dangerous?

Asbestos only poses a health risk if it is damaged or the condition of the material is deteriorating and asbestos fibres are released in to the atmosphere.

Asbestos released into the air and breathed in can be dangerous. Asbestos related illnesses are mainly respiratory (breathing) conditions that reduce lung capacity or cause lung cancer.

The more fibres you breath in, the greater the risk to health. The recommended safe level is less then 0.01 fibres per millilitre of air.

It is therefore important that asbestos is not disturbed when we are repairing or improving your homes or when you are carrying out DIY.

What are we doing?

Before we undertake any improvements or repairs to your home we, or our contractor, will do a risk assessment to asses whether asbestos could be disturbed during the planned work.

Roddons will ensure all known asbestos containing materials are in a safe condition.

Roddons use the services of a specialist asbestos surveyor and has a team of other qualified surveyors who can undertake asbestos surveys. All members of the Roddon’s in-house trades team have received training in asbestos awareness.

Where is asbestos in the home?

Asbestos was widely used in the building industry before it was banned in 1999.

Asbestos can be found in many places, including building materials, fireproofing, thermal insulation, electrical insulation, sound insulation, decorative plasters, roofing products, flooring products, toilet cisterns and bath panels.

Do It Yourself

Before making any DIY home improvement please contact us to get our approval. This is so we can make sure that the work is done safely and correctly.

A member of the Capital Programme Team will check to see if we have surveyed your home for asbestos. If we have we will send you a copy of the report when we approve your home improvements. If we have not yet surveyed your home then a surveyor will visit your home to assess if your home contains any asbestos materials.

As part of the approval process our team will find out if the work is likely to damage any asbestos materials.

This will result in one of two actions:
1) If no asbestos containing materials can be identified in the work area, you can go ahead with the improvements once the Tenant Dwelling Improvement process is completed.
2) If asbestos is found or likely to be found in the area where you are planning to work, then we will tell you how to do it without disturbing the asbestos or who can remove the asbestos.

You should never remove or damage any asbestos containing materials.

What to do if you are concerned?

Asbestos is not dangerous unless it is disturbed or damaged. If you are concerned about your property please contact us and we will happily answer your questions and/or come out to inspect the property.

How to find out more…

You can apply or ask for more information about this service or other services we offer to residents by phone, e-mail, letter or in person.

• Customer Services Centre 01354 660789
• Email: roddonsenquires@circleanglia.org
• Online enquiry form >
• By writing to Roddonn Housing Association, Beacon House, 23 Hostmoor Avenue, MARCH, Cambridgeshire PE15 0AX
• Or you can look at the HSE website