Asbestos in a house built in 1973? Efflorescence or fungus in the mortar?
Silicosis is probably the most dangerous aspect of working with stone and concrete (including plaster and mortar), as stone dust is always present. However, I doubt there is a significant/measurable statistical risk increase for someone who is not professionally engaged in it for 8 hours/day, 5 days/week, year after year.
Regarding the uneven masonry/wall, it is a small limited area. Depending on how large the protruding mortar remains are, a professional mason might not need to remove them at all. It might be appropriate to ask first. If it does need to be removed, and it's not all the joints, then a hammer and chisel can be an appropriate approach that doesn't create much dust.
As for mixing asbestos in plaster/render, there is some logic since the fiber additive reinforces the plaster. It reduces the risk of cracking and, in the event of delamination (limited area), the plaster does not come off as easily. I guess it's for the exact same reasons that self-leveling compounds are reinforced (though not with asbestos anymore).
Mixing fibers in mortar is hardly meaningful since rebar is used. (I assume that fiber-reinforced plaster cannot compete with rebar for holding together masonry walls?)
Regarding the uneven masonry/wall, it is a small limited area. Depending on how large the protruding mortar remains are, a professional mason might not need to remove them at all. It might be appropriate to ask first. If it does need to be removed, and it's not all the joints, then a hammer and chisel can be an appropriate approach that doesn't create much dust.
As for mixing asbestos in plaster/render, there is some logic since the fiber additive reinforces the plaster. It reduces the risk of cracking and, in the event of delamination (limited area), the plaster does not come off as easily. I guess it's for the exact same reasons that self-leveling compounds are reinforced (though not with asbestos anymore).
Mixing fibers in mortar is hardly meaningful since rebar is used. (I assume that fiber-reinforced plaster cannot compete with rebar for holding together masonry walls?)
Oldboy: I agree, except for your last reasoning. It doesn't matter if asbestos is useful or not, the mason could very well have mixed it in anyway. He might have thought it was useful, he might have wanted to stretch the mortar, he might have wanted to get rid of the last bit in the asbestos bag. Maybe he just thought the color looked nicer. It feels risky to rely on all people throughout all times having made the most logical decisions.
But how common was it really? I have worked with two masons who are just over 60 years old today, and neither of them had ever mixed asbestos into the mortar. I think it's a common misconception that there was asbestos in everything from mortar to dough on that time.
It might be because they never worked for very long while asbestos was still allowed/industry standard, or even that? If they are about 60 years old, they were born around 1955 and started their professional careers in their 20s, around 1975. Asbestos alerts came through occupational health services in 1974 and the first ban in 1976. So they couldn't have worked for long before the industry stopped using asbestos in that way, or even at all.Stefan N said:
I don't doubt what you say, but the point is that generalizing to say that mortar never contained asbestos isn't possible, for example, because of what patrikjo says.
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I'm not saying it didn't exist because that's been established without a doubt, but I don't believe it was something that was added routinely. One should also remember that they cut back on most things, like cement, and adding something that, even if it was a cheap product, still cost money and didn't serve any sensible purpose.
A Google search provides a reasonably good indication/fact that it was even quite common to have asbestos in mortar in the past, not just in Sweden. In the US, asbestos in mortar is estimated in 80-90% of brick/block houses built before 1980, according to OSHA (the American equivalent of the Swedish Work Environment Authority).
Thank you for all the feedback! Sent in some pieces of mortar to ALS Scandinavia, both from the bathroom joints (tiled in the 70s) and the basement wall. None of the samples contained asbestos so it's just full speed ahead...
Thank you for the feedback
There shouldn't be any asbestos, but the lightweight concrete looks like blåbetong, which when disturbed releases radon (radioactive gas). I would paint/plaster that wall if I were you.