Asbestos

[Everyonefreezes]

So, what equipment does everyone use for protection against asbestos?

I use an ffp3 mask but i still freak out and think this isn't good enough.
I think it's because i'm pretty ignorant to everything that asbestos does and is.

=]

[Alias]

I dont I like to roll it into a ball and chew on it. tastes sooooo good.

[Oxygen Thief]

Just don't worry about it.

[Everyonefreezes]

Really? A load of people i go with don't
but i've been told so many times that you only need to inhale one particle to die from it.

[jST]

Not to play down the risk, as there is one of course - but unless you're working with it on a "one to one" basis or it is being disturbed at the time you're in the vicinity, I wouldn't worry about it.

[Squirrell 911]

If a P3 floats your boat stick with it but I dont use one as the exposure time is that short. Biggest worry you have is gravity and crumbling floors!

[styru]

don't underestimate the risk. My neighbour died of asbestosis.








Took them four days to cremate the bugger :thumb

.

[Oxygen Thief]

I suppose we're not really in the know, just like yourself. This is the page you should read... http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/asbfaq.htm

Seems to me that the main thing is 'don't smoke'.

[NickUk]

I work within the construction industry and i know i have come face to face with asbestos with no mask on, the thing is... unless you are working with it regularly i think you should just wear a decent p3 mask and try to keep your exposure time to a minimum...

[Bunk3r]

i've been told so many times that you only need to inhale one particle to die from it.
yes in the same way that it only takes one cigarette or one ray of radiation to mutate a cell in the wrong way to cause cancer. but in practice there is background radiation but the chances are most of us will get through life fine. Exposure to more radiation can move the odds but it comes down probabilities the amount and duration of exposures. I think this is perfectly analogous to asbestos.

Personally If I suspect there's a significant amount I use a paper p3 rated mask, because its small cheap and easy and stops me taking in lungfulls at a time. yes a rubber mask will work better, but as I say as long as Im not getting lung fulls Im happy. likewise I could get paranoid and wear a full hazmat suit thing but again its just about reducing it. I think there is a back ground asbestos level everyone inhales some, its back to the radiation analogy.

more interesting controversy: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/6258079/Health-and-Safety-Executive-asbestos-ads-were-wilfully-misleading.html

[dweeb]

It was interesting that the HSE got into bother recently because they had tarred all asbestos with the same brush, when in actual fact white asbestos is a completly different mineral and is harmless it would seem. Most of the stuff you come into contact with, eg "big six" roofing asbestos would seem to be ok.

[Oxygen Thief]

Bunker and Dweeb, my thoughts exactly. I mean, it does concern me, but then so should many other things in life that we enjoy, or are exposed to.

[OneLife]

The big concern is blue and then brown asbestos, thats the stuff they used to lag pipes, make gaskets and is sometimes in comercial buildings with, but then its only if its airbourne that its any concern. your not going to drop down dead from walking through an old factory with some pipes covered in the stuff!
The large majority of whats found in building construction is white which is the least harmful of the lot.

Im not saying its harmless, I will not expose myself to the stuff if I know its there, but its not something ill lose sleep over if I see a chunk of it laid on the floor.

Just be aware that when its airbourne, its not something you want to be actively inhaling. It can get pretty bad when in a bunker thats been smashed up and set on fire or somewhere similar.

If im out and its very suspect or known that theres asbestos, ill wear a mask. P3 is more than adequate, especially if its a proper face mask. I would be happy with P2

[Incognito]

Bunker and Dweeb, my thoughts exactly. I mean, it does concern me, but then so should many other things in life that we enjoy, or are exposed to.

I agree with that, im more concerned about the floor giving way or the floor not even being there. Whilst I appreciate a lot of people have died from asbestos related death not every single person who came into contact with it died.

I just use a bit of common sense and do go touching or disturbing anything unless I know what it is.

[dweeb]

I would imagine that old holbourne, guinness and wine women and song will get me first!

[OneLife]

I would imagine that old holbourne, guinness and wine women and song will get me first!

Ill be joining you in hell on that one!

[Mrbodymassagemachine]

Saw this on explore multiple times last night, think it sums it up nicely.

http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m519/Mrbodymassagemachine/boldwood/Image057.jpg

[d86]

Saw this on explore multiple times last night, think it sums it up nicely.

http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m519/Mrbodymassagemachine/boldwood/Image057.jpg

i think thats pritty much it...

t...:)

[diehardlove]

Dont forget it takes some time to settle in a enclosed space so you might not be the person disturbing it.
I personally say fuck it and and am just carefull as hate the masks.

[bbz]

I don't know why people complain about this asbestos stuff...it don't smell so bad
</mynameisearl>

[buddah]

Just dont rack a line up.

[Jaffy]

I'm quite torn on the matter, thinking on it. The only place I've been to where there's been any significant amount of asbestos was a bunker that had been torn through by a fire, so it was pretty much all over the place.

I don't see a hardship in keeping a FFP3 mask in your bag, the fold-flat ones come to about £2 apiece and I'm sure most UrbExers will have spent a lot more than that on just a single explore. Helps to keep my own paranoia at bay at any rate ;)

[pirate]

my 45yr old boatyard landlord has just been diagnosed with throat cancer,he doesn't smoke.

a short life of working with ,lead paint,fiberglass,rust,chemicals, ect ect has fucked him right up.

you may be all gun ho now but get to that age with a couple of kids and you would have wished your had been more vigilant.

i know there are many things that mess with our bodies and we can't wear maks all the time but it pays to be carefull

if in doubt.....mask on.

[Everyonefreezes]

I can never tell what is asbestos and whats just tiles or anything =/

[Gorecki]

you may be all gun ho now but get to that age with a couple of kids and you would have wished your had been more vigilant.

i know there are many things that mess with our bodies and we can't wear maks all the time but it pays to be carefull

if in doubt.....mask on.

Agreed...
My dad was diagnosed with Asbestos Cancer in May...
4 months later he passed away. It's a quick killer :/

[rossko90]

Oh yeah it's deadly all right. I remove it for a living and any buildings built before the year 2000 contain the stuff. So most of the places we explore have asbestos particles floating around the air unless everything is intact. Including paint work. On an explore when u see flake paint on the walls like u do in most old derelect building be aware that there is a 90% chance that u are inhaling asbestos particles.

So keep your distance and a word of warning only a full face fit resperator mask will prevent inhaling the particles.

So wen on ur next explore show caution tot eh hidden killer :)

[Cheese Monkey]

When places are in such a state the ceilings are falling down I think I will wear a mask. Think ceiling tiles etc used to have it in? Old paint aswell. Its probably a minimal risk but a mask is cheap.

[d86]

Oh yeah it's deadly all right. I remove it for a living and any buildings built before the year 2000 contain the stuff. So most of the places we explore have asbestos particles floating around the air unless everything is intact. Including paint work. On an explore when u see flake paint on the walls like u do in most old derelect building be aware that there is a 90% chance that u are inhaling asbestos particles.

So keep your distance and a word of warning only a full face fit resperator mask will prevent inhaling the particles.

So wen on ur next explore show caution tot eh hidden killer :)

so are we saying it don't really help to wear a normal paper resperator mask thingy.????

or just wear one because you never know...
prevention is better than cure...

t...:)

[BenCooper]

THe paper decorators ones are not going to stop asbestos fibres. You need a PP3 one. A non-working mask is, if anything, worse than no mask at all...

[styru]

Just dont rack a line up.


Would it have hurt you to tell me that BEFORE last nights party? FFS :banghead

.

[rossko90]

Even your pp3 mask is rendered useless as it is not a double filltered mask. The only mask suitable for usage in a know asbestos location is a full face custom made to fit only your face.

Even at that contamination from asbestos particles is still not fully wiped out by wearing a mask alone. The particles stick to your clothing and equipment so to be hoonest you need a complete decontamination wash down and clean clothes the minute that you leave the building of which your have been exploring. leaving ur equipment in the dirty side of the shower as it must be cleaned.

[diehardlove]

I just live by the fact that all this cant be any worst than smoking/drinking and all the shit thats in our food and all the antibiotic ridden meat we eat and on top of that all the solvents that leech out the paint on your walls and chemical ridden fabric we wear and medication and vaccinations that we have no idea whats in,Just take the best means you can to stay safe and if thats not enough for you then just dont explore drink smoke cross the road eat meat paint your walls wear non organic cotton or basically live as it all involves chance and probability.

[Bunk3r]

Even your pp3 mask is rendered useless as it is not a double filltered mask. The only mask suitable for usage in a know asbestos location is a full face custom made to fit only your face.

Even at that contamination from asbestos particles is still not fully wiped out by wearing a mask alone. The particles stick to your clothing and equipment so to be hoonest you need a complete decontamination wash down and clean clothes the minute that you leave the building of which your have been exploring. leaving ur equipment in the dirty side of the shower as it must be cleaned.

that would certainly go a long way to ensure you dont inhale any, but kindof pointless in all the extra effort if you light a cigarette on the way home. I dont smoke but still the analogy is still there. as I said before, well actually here is what i said before:
yes in the same way that it only takes one cigarette or one ray of radiation to mutate a cell in the wrong way to cause cancer. but in practice there is background radiation but the chances are most of us will get through life fine. Exposure to more radiation can move the odds but it comes down probabilities the amount and duration of exposures. I think this is perfectly analogous to asbestos.

Personally If I suspect there's a significant amount I use a paper p3 rated mask, because its small cheap and easy and stops me taking in lungfulls at a time. yes a rubber mask will work better, but as I say as long as Im not getting lung fulls Im happy. likewise I could get paranoid and wear a full hazmat suit thing but again its just about reducing it. I think there is a back ground asbestos level everyone inhales some, its back to the radiation analogy.

more interesting controversy: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/6258079/Health-and-Safety-Executive-asbestos-ads-were-wilfully-misleading.html

Im a cautious person so I fear now Im arguing my point strongly for the worse as usually Im normally the first to pull out hard hats and p3 masks, but my point is for me its about limiting the dose, not stopping every particle.

[stevev]

Asbestos is only a danger when fibres are made airborne.

disposable FFP3 type masks are suitable but that is only a small part of the risk the fibres may be on your clothes or even your boot laces!

a key factor in the risk of developing an asbestos-related disease is the total number of fibres breathed in. Working on or near damaged asbestos-containing materials or breathing in high levels of asbestos fibres, which may be many hundreds of times that of environmental levels could increase your chances of getting an asbestos-related disease. If you have visited any industrial site posted on this site you may have been at risk of exsposure if the asbestos had been disturbed.

Mesothelioma; by the time it is diagnosed, it is almost always fatal

Thgis is a very good site as you would expect>

http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/dangerous.htm

[Highway_Star]

My dad died from Mesothelioma, aged 65. Just about a year after he was diagnosed. He had been ill for some time before diagnosis though.

He didn't work with Asbestos personally, however it was present lagging the pipes on the early RN nuclear submarine reactors where he worked in the '60s and '70s (HMS Dreadnought & the Reso class bombers for example). He was never in the reactor compartment when the pipes were being lagged or de lagged, only when this process was complete and the area clean and air tested. Apparently not well enough.

Having seen all too up close and personal what this stuff does to the human body, I can only urge everyone to take the greatest of care. Most colleges run a one day course on dealing with Asbestos in the workplace, I took it and very much more aware of the stuff now. I've left more than one site because either the site aren't managing it properly, or in one place the IT cabling people started cutting holes in an AIB (Asbestos Insulating Board) panel, and didn't understand the problem! It was covered in warning stickers.

[Alias]

65 is a good innings though...I dont see myself lasting that long anyway

[styru]

I dont see myself lasting that long anyway

As it happens we've got a sweepstake running on that mate.

I've got you down for next Thursday. :thumb

[canute]

As it happens we've got a sweepstake running on that mate. I've got you down for next Thursday. :thumb

Mr Styru - just to let you know that that sniper rifle you ordered is ready for collection

[TWD]

65 is a good innings though...I dont see myself lasting that long anyway

No disrespect Alias, and I really mean that. Been watching this forum for a long long time, am well aware of your awesome photos and you have made me laugh many a time with your (rightly) flaming in the past. But I didn't enjoy that, a man's life was cut short from a disease. From a guy who nearly lost his dad in 1990 and then again in 1996 from cancer, didn't appreciate that one fella. I could have lost him at 63, and to be honest as a 15 year old I didn't consider that a good innings.

Really do respect your thing though mate, and I wish you all the best. Just needed to have my say, for a change.

[explorer62]

Even your pp3 mask is rendered useless as it is not a double filltered mask. The only mask suitable for usage in a know asbestos location is a full face custom made to fit only your face.

Even at that contamination from asbestos particles is still not fully wiped out by wearing a mask alone. The particles stick to your clothing and equipment so to be hoonest you need a complete decontamination wash down and clean clothes the minute that you leave the building of which your have been exploring. leaving ur equipment in the dirty side of the shower as it must be cleaned.

^^^^ this.

The asbestos worry nearly stopped me engaging in UE but in the end I decided what the heck - something else will probably see me off first anyway and unless you wanna go with the above ....

That's not to say I am entirely dismissive of it - I just don't worry hugely about it and don't wear a mask as I don't have access to a full decontamination unit.

It's a personal choice at the end of the day.

[Matt.]

Agreed with explorer62, I mean a mask simply won't do much, if anything.
Especially those spray painting masks everyone wears, or a scarf tied across the face,
if that's the only effort you're going to take, you might as well not bother.

If you're that worried, you'd take a collapsable shower and decontam' suit.
I personally don't wear a mask, I have on occasion but only due to the
excessive smell of pigeon shit. For asbestos - 30c mask = pointless.

[pbob2513]

A P3 Mask is good but asbestos dont worry about it so much,, its the bacteria and toxic black mould which is the real problem....

[scala66]

:popcorn

[NickUk]

If we all spent our time worrying about what COULD happen, we wouldn't leave the house and we'd all be nervous wrecks.

[diehardlove]

What a absolute loads of fucking bollocks by twats who have no fucking idea what so ever,
You smoke 1 fag it increases your chances of dieing of cancer you get 1 fiber in your lungs of asbestos it scratches it and causes it to scar and increases the chances of cancer so you honestly think a dust mask will do fuck all when you take it off and take your clothes off at night with 1000s and 1000s of fibers still on your hands clothes feet bag etc etc floating around ready to breath in get fucking real its only any good with a decon shower and full gear,
Bit like wearing condom but snipping the end off.
Why not wear a oxygen mask when you go in a smokers house might help you not get cancer pmsl.

And as for the people who had people die of cancer yeah so have i 4 family members 2 of lung cancer 2 of different types guess what none smoked or was exposed to asbestos its the fucking world we live don't mean we should change our lives due to that id be more worried about the shit we eat or the shit in our water.

If it worries you that much dont fucking explore start knitting or baking but wear oven gloves incase you burn your self full fucking stop.
FFS CANT A MOD CLOSE THIS SHIT AS ITS JUST GOING ON AND ON ABOUT BOLLOCKS THATS BEEN COVERED A MILLION TIMES AND IS IN THE FAQS !!!!!!!!!!!!!! if your worried wear a pp3 but for ffs burn your cloths bags shoes etc etc after going anywhere else or just do what the rest of us do and use your head and common sense simple.

[Bone]

:popcorn

[diehardlove]

FFs what about the spores in a recent crazy explore some of the members did you know where i mean did any of us wear masks,what about the spores in the mines we sleep in or the phone exchange full of asbestos no we didnt.
Fucking newbie shit yet again !!!!!!
Bet i get ran over by a train or fall off a building before dieing of asbestos.

[diehardlove]

Tell you what im not going out this sat night as i might meet a slag and get aids as i wore a dental dam but not a condom.

[SarahSaw]

Whoa DHL, chill out man. Bad day at work?? :p

[diehardlove]

Whoa DHL, chill out man. Bad day at work?? :p

Nah just pisses me off the same shit over and over again and its always off people who have no common sense,Half the time people dont even know what it is what its made from different types and it doesnt magically cause cancer it just increases the risk same as smoking or breathing smog etc,

Ffs when we were apprentices we used to blow brake linings off trucks with compressed air had no idea it had asbestos in it we where never told now we damp them down and wash them and we dont have to wear dust masks.

[the invisableman]

In conclusion. You pay your money you take your choice!

End of.

[Kaplan]

My two-pence-worth:

Fuck it.

I'm not jumping around in the stuff and breathing in great big fucking lungfulls.

Pikeys worry me more :D

[BenCooper]

Okay, conclusion:

Asbestos is very nasty stuff if you breathe it in, and exposure now may kill you down the line - so if you want to live to see your kids or grandkids, it makes sense to take reasonable precautions.

Those would be to learn what asbestos looks like, and to avoid it. If it cannot be avoided, then a proper mask (PP3-rated, not a decorator's mask) should be worn. The filters should be chucked after use, as should any clothing that could have collected asbestos fibres. It wasn't uncommon for shipworkers' wives to get asbestosis from their husbands' clothes. Even if you don't care about yourself, care about your family.

But don't worry too much - most places, even if they contain asbestos in the construction, do not contain asbestos fibres in the atmosphere. Don't go into places where asbestos removal is in progress, and don't smash stuff up.