Asbestos Cement Watertank

[David Reid]

Hi, I am in the middle of sorting out our loft space at the moment but now have the issue of a disused watertank. We had a combi boiler installed about 2yrs ago which meant our watertank in the loft has been sitting there with a heavy duty plastic bag around it ever since - it has been confirmed asbestos cement already (1970's property - with label on tank).

I would like to know if this is something I could tackle myself? Given my intended approach. - Full PPE - suit, mask and rubber gloves, quite a few very large heavy duty bags to put the tank in and then just wet the whole tank before breaking it down inside several bags. Our local Recycling centre as already confirmed this is something they can take as they have the facility for householders to take their own asbestos (atleast double bagged) to their site.

Obviously I have full respect of the material I am dealing with which is why I'm not just charging in there. Although I feel confident with my method I have minimal risk.

Please let me know what you think.

Thanks David

[Tricky Dicky]

I disposed of an old asbestos garage roof myself, full PPE face, masks, goggles and gloves. It is reasonably safe to handle and like you our LA had a site where householders could dispose of the material as long as it was double bagged and sealed. The thing to avoid is breaking it as this can release fine particles which are hard to confine so if you can get it down in one piece that is your safest option. We struggled to avoid breakages due to the poor state of the roof despite cutting through the nails holding the panels several broke as the panels were lifted. We did not clear the ground by hosing as the next week the groundwork?s contractors arrived and broke up the base and part of the drive and removed it.

Richard

[The Natural Philosopher]

especially if wetted. It is the dust in the lungs that is the danger Also whitre asbestos is not nearly the problem that blue asbestos is.

Consider cutting it up inside transparerant bags as well

? The thing to

Not necessarily. In conjunction with air filtration on a HEP equipped vacuum, and bagging as much as possible before breaking up, it may be easier to split it in situ with far less chance of dust escaping.

exactly. If its gonna break, make sure it does it in a sealed bag if possible

[GB]

Bear in mind that Mesothelioma takes around 25 years to develop. That's probably longer than the life expectancy of most people on this newsgroup. This is a job best done by older folk. :)

[Steve Walker]

Our local council has made it a bit more difficult, although still possible. We used to be able to double bag it and take it to almost any tip, where they had containers specifically for it. Similarly for plasterboard. Now for either, there is only one site that accepts it and that is not a normal tip, it is for the council's own wagons. You now have to make an appointment and cannot go on site unless you are wearing safety boots, hi-viz jacket and hard-hat. And you can only go during "office" hours, so have to take time off work to take it!

[newshound]

+1 to all that. I wouldn't go further than a rubber-sealed facemask with disposable cartridge filters, I'd say HEPA and vacuum is OTT. Disposable "SOCO" type suit. Main precaution is to try to contain it all within heavy gauge polythene sheeting (rubble sack type).

[charles]

In the late 1960s, I used asbestos cement sheeting as the internal covering on my porch. I cut it to size - nobody knew about masks then. I'm - so far, still here.

[charles]

I do have all 3 of those.

[T i m]

<snip>

At the time, ours couldn't have made it any easier.

When daughter and I took a corrugated fibreglass roofed, corrugated cement fiber walled, steel framed garage down we didn't (that I can remember) use any breathing protection, just gloves.

We stacked the sheets round the front of the house (that were painted on one side and we were careful not to kick up any dust or break them etc) and the Council arranged for a vehicle to come and get them where a guy in some full PPE put them in his van and took them away FOC.

We are in Norf Lundin and I think the vehicle came from Bristol (probably doing 'a round' collecting such materials).

We got a confirmation of their removal and I think it suggested the asbestos content was .05% or some such.

Cheers, T i m

[Mark Carver]

My dad's first job was at Portsmouth Power station in the late 40s. He was involved in stripping out asbestos from the inside of the chimneys. He died 70 years later from dementia.

[GB]

I think the risk is probably exaggerated, although obviously best avoided now we know about it.

It only takes one fibre, lodged in your lungs (usually the lungs but can be elsewhere), to give you cancer. But the people most at risk were those who worked with asbestos on a daily basis. For some sorts of insulation, it came in powdered form, was mixed with water in a bucket, and slapped in place. You can imagine the clouds of dust produced by that mixing process.

By no means everybody working in this way became ill, so the risks for an individual only working very occasionally with asbestos were probably not all that bad.

[Adrian Caspersz]

Years ago, we had an garage cement-asbestos roof smashed through by hired uninsured idiots next door who demolished the neighbours chimney by removing bricks from the bottom, allowing gravity to finish the job. A large crash, a total mess of very small powdered bits :(

Called the first random firm in yellow pages to do an asbestos safe removal inspection. Chap walked in without PE, told me to keep back.

Obviously with age of his experience he must have some magic super powers, but he briefly looked at it all and said he'd be robbing money out of me if he took up the work. He left without charge - I gave him some readies for a drink.

I, not knowing any better[1]; donned up a bunny suit, a filter mask and a dribbling hose pipe and washed down what I could see.

My personal doom clock be ticking for so many other things lately, that that particular incident is not a worry.

Well, I need to stay away from the falling edge of the pavement...

[1] - in hindsight, I should have found a lab somewhere and got some samples tested.

[The Natural Philosopher]

hell I sunbathed on asbestos rooves back in the 60s.

Got COPD but that's from smoking.

Far worse thing to do.

[The Natural Philosopher]

asbestos does not *necessarily|* give you cancer

"Asbestosis is long-term inflammation and scarring of the lungs due to asbestos fibers. Symptoms may include shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, and chest tightness. *Complications* may include lung cancer, mesothelioma, and pulmonary heart disease."

Exactly the same as smoking

The people who died were mainly in the mining, manufacture or heavy use of, asbestos [parts].

is a balanced overview.

Asbestos wasn't in the end banned because it was *especially* dangerous, but because it could be entirely replaced with other materials. It is way less dangerous than smoking, for example.

>

[fred]

When very young I fell through a flat asbestos roof (Over a toilet in a changing room) Tore huge gash in back of my thigh. While face down on the operating table having it stitched up I kept complaining about a pain in the bridge of my foot. The surgeon had a look and said thats only a small cut but put a stitch in it to keep me quiet. He actually stitched a small piece of asbestos into it. It sat as a small projection on my foot for a few years and then began to weep. It had turned to gangrene.

Local electric company demolished cooling towers in some of their peat burning power stations. Some years later someone asked how they disposed of the asbestos. " Dumped it in the bog." " Whereabouts in the bog?" " Can't remember." End of story

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

Its very interesting, I have clear memories in the 80s of building a small lean to for large metal stuff and the asbestos cement roof bits I just cut off straight with a jig saw in the garden. The bits of dust are surprisingly heavy and could easily be taken up later on. I would not go near the fibrous blue stuff though I have to say. Brian

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

Yes you do get different constituencies of it. All I can say is that like most cements its very brittle and so it is a good idea to get shot of it anyway after some years. I had a company remove all of ours when I finally got rid of it, but just found some more buried under a bit of lawn of all places. Incidentally how can one get rid of a metal galvanised water tank stuck in the loft space which is too big to go through the hatch without inviting angle grinder man to burn your house down? Brian

[GB]

The fire brigade use scissors-like cutters for getting people out of crashed cars. Probably hydraulic, rather than compressed air. I doubt they'll come and remove your water tank for you, so perhaps you can make it into a decorative feature?

[GB]

How about this?

[GB]

How thick is the metal? Would a nibbler do it?