The neighbor is tearing down an asbestos cement roof!

[Daos69]

But comparing asbestos with baby food or a gravel road is just directly wrong and uninformed.

neither wrong nor uninformed. it is a clear and logical response based on the information given. if it were my child, I would have immediately called a cleaning company and asked them about how dangerous it actually is. hypothetically speaking, of course.

 

[useless]

I understand your concern and share it, but for my own sake I have decided to trust those who say the risk is small.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way with phobias.

 

[Urbanorl]

There is no reason to defend one pollution because there are others. These are the rules that the Swedish Work Environment Authority has developed. They are not mandatory for private individuals, but they should be followed. https://www.av.se/produktion-industri-och-logistik/asbest/privatpersoners-hantering-av-asbest/

 

[Peternow]

Asbestos particles are heavy and fortunately do not travel very far.

 

[elle10]

Hello!

We live in the countryside and our neighbor has an outbuilding with an eternit roof on it. Today, when I went to bring in our 14-month-old son from his morning nap, I saw that the neighbor is taking down the eternit roof! I immediately ran inside with our son and closed doors and windows. The neighbor's house is about 80 meters from where my son was sleeping and about 25 meters from our house.

I called him, and he said they are removing the tiles one by one, sliding them down along the battens onto a pallet that they have lifted with the tractor at the bottom of the roof. He said some break in the middle but that they otherwise take them down whole. However, he just leaves them openly on the pallet in the yard until he throws them away instead of putting them in plastic bags. I asked him to at least spray water on the roof while he is taking down the tiles, but I have not checked if he is doing this.

He, of course, says it doesn’t create dust, but I know that there’s always dust when demolishing, so there’s definitely dust even if it's not nearly as much as when cutting eternit, for example. He claims that there’s more dust from the road, which is probably true, but the road consists of gravel and not asbestos! I know that he can’t possibly know how much dust he is releasing when removing the tiles. If it blew from our house, it would be less dangerous, but the wind direction is impossible to determine.

Personally, I am not particularly worried, but our little son was outside sleeping and was also out the day before when they were also tearing down the roof (without me knowing).

How dangerous can this be?! I understand that it’s impossible to know how much my son has inhaled, but it would be comforting if someone knows more about this? How long does asbestos dust remain in the air, i.e., when can we go outside again? Is it possible that it blows in through drafts in windows, doors, etc.?

Should we evacuate the house until he is finished? Risking my son's health because a 74-year-old guy is careless with asbestos is NOT an option!

What does the neighbor’s age have to do with it?

Hello!

We live in the countryside and our neighbor has an outbuilding with an eternit roof on it. Today, when I went to bring in our 14-month-old son from his morning nap, I saw that the neighbor is taking down the eternit roof! I immediately ran inside with our son and closed doors and windows. The neighbor's house is about 80 meters from where my son was sleeping and about 25 meters from our house.

I called him, and he said they are removing the tiles one by one, sliding them down along the battens onto a pallet that they have lifted with the tractor at the bottom of the roof. He said some break in the middle but that they otherwise take them down whole. However, he just leaves them openly on the pallet in the yard until he throws them away instead of putting them in plastic bags. I asked him to at least spray water on the roof while he is taking down the tiles, but I have not checked if he is doing this.

He, of course, says it doesn’t create dust, but I know that there’s always dust when demolishing, so there’s definitely dust even if it's not nearly as much as when cutting eternit, for example. He claims that there’s more dust from the road, which is probably true, but the road consists of gravel and not asbestos! I know that he can’t possibly know how much dust he is releasing when removing the tiles. If it blew from our house, it would be less dangerous, but the wind direction is impossible to determine.

Personally, I am not particularly worried, but our little son was outside sleeping and was also out the day before when they were also tearing down the roof (without me knowing).

How dangerous can this be?! I understand that it’s impossible to know how much my son has inhaled, but it would be comforting if someone knows more about this? How long does asbestos dust remain in the air, i.e., when can we go outside again? Is it possible that it blows in through drafts in windows, doors, etc.?

Should we evacuate the house until he is finished? Risking my son's health because a 74-year-old guy is careless with asbestos is NOT an option!

 

[KarroZoo]

I can't read all the posts, but I see that some are taking it way too lightly. Here's what the Swedish Work Environment Authority says:

Handling asbestos is dangerous. The regulations from the Work Environment Authority, which are designed to limit the risks of handling asbestos, can also be used by private individuals. The rules describe methods for working safely with asbestos-containing materials. To minimize risks for yourself and your family, we recommend using these methods even as a private individual.

This means, for example, that asbestos cement sheets on roofs and facades should first be wetted and then taken down as whole as possible, and that a half-mask with a P3 filter, protective gloves, and disposable protective clothing should be used.

Dangerous for the person handling them (long-term exposure is of course the big danger), not for someone located 80 m away from a place where whole panels are being removed.

 

[greenhouse]

There is no reason to defend a pollution by pointing out others.
These are the rules developed by the Swedish Work Environment Authority. They are not mandatory for private individuals but should be followed. [link]

Exactly my point.

 

[greenhouse]

Asbestos particles are heavy and do not travel very far fortunately.

This was interesting. I thought they were small and light and therefore dangerous because they travel easily and far.

Where did you read this?

 

[frityreldarn]

Hello!

We live in the countryside and our neighbor has an outhouse with an eternit roof. Today, when I was about to bring our 14-month-old son inside from his morning nap, I saw that the neighbor was taking down the eternit roof! I immediately ran inside with our son and closed the doors and windows. The neighbor's house is about 80 meters from where my son was sleeping and about 25 meters from our house.

I called him and he said that they are taking the tiles down one by one and sliding them down along the battens onto a pallet that they lifted with a tractor at the bottom of the roof. He said that some break in the middle but otherwise they take them down whole. However, he only places them openly on a pallet in the yard until he disposes of them instead of putting them in plastic bags. I at least asked him to spray water on the roof while taking down the tiles, but I haven't checked if he's doing this.

He obviously claims it doesn't create dust, but I know it always creates dust when you demolish, so it's clear it creates dust even if it doesn't create dust anywhere near as much as sawing eternit, for example. He argues that more dust comes from the road, which may be true, but the road is made of gravel and not asbestos! I know he couldn't possibly know how much dust he releases when he's taking down the tiles. If the wind were blowing from our house, it would be less dangerous, but the wind direction is impossible to determine.

For my own part, I'm not particularly worried, but our little son was sleeping outside and was also outside the day before when they were also taking down the roof (without my knowledge).

How dangerous can this be?! I understand it's impossible to know how much my son has inhaled, but it would be comforting if someone knows more about this? How long does asbestos dust remain in the air, i.e., when can we go outside again? Could it possibly be blown in through natural ventilation in windows and doors?

Should we evacuate the house until he's finished? Risking my son's health because a 74-year-old man is careless with asbestos is NOT an option!

It’s likely to be dusty from under the roof and the beams but it’s just old dust from dry hay and a lot of other things. It’s no more dangerous stacking them on a pallet than where they were on the roof. Packing in double bags should be done when taken to recycling, they won’t accept it otherwise. It’s clear it’s not ideal to break the whole roof into small pieces, but it’s not dangerous if an occasional tile breaks, the asbestos is bound in the cement. If you break a tile and hold it up to the light, you can see the fibers sticking up if you look very closely. A roof piece that breaks in two parts, where the asbestos fiber remains in one part and comes out of the other part, the part that is shortest so to speak. It’s a bit like taking a nail and driving it into a piece of wood 80 mm down, then cutting the head off the nail so it sticks up 20 mm, then hammering an identical piece of wood onto the protruding nail. If you separate these two pieces of wood now, it would remain in the one that's 80, and loosen in the one that is 20 mm. Exactly like this, times 10,000, and in fibers instead. Sure, an occasional fiber may come loose; that’s why you should avoid breaking them. And water, absolutely a great way to bind fibers. But I understand why he wouldn’t want to drench the entire roof and beams with loads of water, it wouldn’t be easy to work then, it would be slippery. You can be completely calm as long as he doesn’t throw down the tiles to the ground to break them, or into a container where they break. Seems like he knows what he’s doing. But!! You absolutely must not saw them with an angle grinder or anything, that's when a lot of short, dry, flying fibers are released.

 

[Stuff]

There is no reason to defend pollution by saying there are others. These are the regulations set by the Swedish Work Environment Authority. They are not mandatory for private individuals but should be followed. [link]

Pollutions should obviously not be defended, but one still wonders how many people somehow get fixated on the risks of asbestos and really spend a lot of time and effort worrying about it when there are other (bigger risks in life). The Work Environment Authority works to protect those who professionally handle asbestos and often come into contact with it. There are of course risks if a private property owner handles asbestos carelessly, but the risk is greatest for the one handling the asbestos and not for neighbors living 80 m away.

To, as in this case, start demanding that the neighbor water down the roof is madness. The risk of the neighbor slipping and hurting themselves will far exceed the risk of the OP inhaling asbestos fibers.

 

[frityreldarn]

Pollution should of course not be defended, but one is still amazed at how many people somehow get fixated on the risks of asbestos and truly spend lots of time and energy worrying about it when there are simultaneously other (bigger risks in life).
The Swedish Work Environment Authority works to protect those who professionally handle asbestos and often come into contact with it. Risks also exist if a private property owner handles asbestos carelessly, but the risk is greatest for the person handling the asbestos and not for neighbors living 80 meters away.

In this case, starting to demand that the neighbor water the roof is insanity. The risk of the neighbor slipping and hurting themselves far exceeds the risk of the OP inhaling asbestos fibers.

Ha! Then you and I think alike, wrote about the same.

 

[Trunk]

How many deaths per year due to someone eating 1kg of sugar in 1978? None. While it may be bad for public health, that's a COMPLETELY different discussion.

How many children die from being dropped by a parent? Don't know, but presumably none, possibly a freak accident once a year.

Why do people take questions about asbestos so personally? This mineral divides people worse than the immigration issue.

The number of people who died due to sugar consumption in '87 is probably as many as those who died from tearing down an eternit roof Sorry, I couldn't resist.

I hope the number of people who drop their children resulting in death is zero or close to it. However, one should be aware that falls are one of the most common accidents for small children. Usually, it involves falls from sofas, stairs, chairs, etc. So, if you insist on using such a metaphor, you could say it's more dangerous to have a two-year-old on the sofa than to live next to someone tearing down a roof.

If you reread the first dozen posts, you will see that few, if any, took your concern about asbestos personally. It was only after you reacted to the responses that it became more personal. It takes two to tango, as they say (or dozens if you're on byggahus.se).

It probably stems from the insidious danger of asbestos and the small doses needed to pose a risk. Like all fears, it's not logical. In the 80s-90s, people were afraid of getting AIDS even if they weren't homosexual drug users. It's not logical to be afraid of spiders or snakes either, yet people are. Very rarely are people afraid of statistically significant dangers.

You've started dozens of threads on the subject, received dozens of responses just in this thread, and most likely/hopefully, you've also sought facts from more serious sources. Despite that, you describe it as an insidious danger and that small doses are risky.

You're not wrong per se, but you seem unwilling to see the big picture, the important picture. It's not that tricky, as long as you don't saw, drill, break, kick, or rub against the boards, you can be at ease. And the amount needed to be dangerous is, as stated several times, greater than you seem willing to believe.

I fully understand having an irrational respect for things not understood, but given the amount of time you've invested in this, you should have honestly gained some insight into the subject.

There is no reason to defend one pollutant by pointing out there are others.
These are the rules the Swedish Work Environment Authority has established. They are not mandatory for private individuals but should be followed. [link]

But as I interpret it, the posts you're referring to aren't "defending" putting your head in a can of asbestos just because you eat sugar or walk on gravel roads. They support the claim that the risk of negative consequences is negligible if someone is carefully tearing down a roof almost a hundred meters away. Although I haven't spoken with the Swedish Work Environment Authority, I want to believe that if asbestos were so dangerous that one couldn't be within a hundred-meter radius without protective equipment, it wouldn't be legal for private individuals to handle asbestos.

 

[greenhouse]

Pollution should of course not be defended, but it is still remarkable how many people somehow get fixated on the risks of asbestos and really spend lots of time and effort worrying about it when there are other (greater risks in life).
The Swedish Work Environment Authority works to protect those who professionally handle asbestos and come into contact with it frequently. There are risks, of course, if a private property owner handles asbestos carelessly, but the risk is greatest for the person handling the asbestos and not for neighbors living 80 m away.

To, in this case, start demanding that the neighbor water down the roof is madness. The risk of the neighbor slipping and getting hurt far exceeds the risk for TS inhaling asbestos fibers.

The thing is, it's his duty not to harm others. He can harm himself as much as he wants, but he should make sure not to harm others. Just like I wouldn't drive 100kmh past a kindergarten.

In this particular case, maybe he did the best he could and the risk is minimal. But I would have liked him to inform us of his plans. That's what I would do if, for example, I were to cut down a tree 5 meters from his house.

What's done is done.

 

[badmthrfckr]

No, different questions/material. Clearly, I am anxious when it comes to asbestos. I won't deny that.

Wonderful with such drama, but unfortunately your worry is not only entertaining. It is likely shortening your life considerably more than the actual source of the worry affects anyone, including the child 80 meters away, in your surroundings at all.

Nonetheless, I tip my hat and thank you for your winning entry in the category of today's first-world problems.

 

[impala65]

Life is deadly, no one has survived.