What is asbestos? Materials containing asbestos cannot be identified simply by looking at them.

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1 Asbestos advice

2 Asbestos was a very commonly used building material from the 1950s up to the 1990s when it was banned in the UK. It does not catch fire, is resistant to chemicals, is durable, it blocks noise and is a good insulator. Using asbestos in construction was not completely banned in the UK until 1999, which means many homes are likely to have some asbestos in them. This leaflet explains: What asbestos is Where you might find it Why it may be a problem How to deal with it. What is asbestos? Asbestos is a natural mineral made up of microscopic fibres. It is still mined today in Russia, Italy, Armenia, China, South Africa and South America. Once mined out of the ground it is processed into industrial materials. There are six different minerals classified as asbestos, all of which are known human carcinogens, meaning they are toxic to human health. Materials containing asbestos cannot be identified simply by looking at them. If there is asbestos in your home, this does not automatically mean there is a problem or risk. In fact, materials containing asbestos are very good at what they do. Asbestos fibres can only affect your health if they become damaged, either accidentally or while they are being worked on during building work or DIY. If this happens, the asbestos could release fibres and these could harm your health if you breathe in a significant quantity. Please be assured that the presence of asbestos containing materials in your home should not be a cause for concern. It is the Health and Safety Executive s (HSE) advice that such materials in good condition should be left in place undisturbed and their condition periodically monitored. You may like to think of it in the same way as live electricity a constant presence and quite safe until tampered with.

3 What we do We carry out asbestos surveys of homes to make sure we know the type of any asbestos, where it is and whether it is in a safe condition. We keep a register of this and have an ongoing plan to deal with any asbestos as appropriate. If you are planning to do any works in your home which may disturb asbestos containing materials, please contact us before the works and we can give advice. Is there asbestos in my home? Asbestos can be found in most homes built before 1999 when it was banned. If untouched the asbestos containing materials are not harmful. There may be asbestos in the following areas of your home: Boiler flues Fascia boards Pipe joints Garage roofs Fire breaks Pipework Gas appliances Fire doors Textured coatings like Artex Pipe boxing Insulation Water heaters Soffits Partition walls Bath panels Water tanks Storage heaters Ceiling tiles Floor tiles Door and boiler cupboard linings Gutters and rainwater pipes Any new material fitted by us or our contractors will not contain asbestos. Will asbestos affect my health? Asbestos is not a danger to your health if it is in good condition and is not disturbed. It can be harmful if you disturb asbestos by drilling it, sawing it, or rubbing it down. Will you remove asbestos from my home? Asbestos was used so widely in the building trade for such a long time that removing asbestos from all homes is not practical, and in many instances attempting to remove the asbestos will release more fibres into the air than if left alone. We will do a risk assessment for every case.

4 A trained surveyor will decide whether to: Leave the asbestos in place and make a record of where it is (if it is in good condition) How can I reduce the risk of asbestos? Don t repair or remove any material that you think may contain asbestos Don t cut, break, saw, drill, sand or disturb anything you think may contain asbestos If you don t know what a material is made from, assume that it contains asbestos If you don t know whether something contains asbestos, phone us on and we will be able to check our asbestos register. Seal the asbestos to stop it breaking down (this is called encapsulation) Cover the asbestos with timber, PVC or other materials; or remove it and replace it with material that doesn t contain asbestos. If you are carrying out works at home and asbestos is found, it must be handled by a qualified person. We have details of qualified people. Who can remove asbestos? We only use approved contractors licensed by the Health and Safety Executive to remove or work on harmful types of asbestos.

5 Leaseholders If you own your property and are a leaseholder, we are not responsible for asbestos in your home. Please contact us and we can give you a list of contractors licensed to deal with asbestos or carry out surveys. If you have any concerns about asbestos please phone us on If we own the freehold of the building in which your home is located, we are responsible for the asbestos in any shared areas (for example stairwells or landings). All of these areas are inspected annually. Get in touch enquiries@silvahomes.co.uk If you need this leaflet in another language or format please contact the freephone number above.