The neighbor is tearing down an asbestos cement roof!

[greenhouse]

I note that in your first post you write "74-year-old gubbe". Is it relevant to the matter? What do you want to achieve with that wording?

Well, I described the situation as it was. Naturally, it is not relevant. Is your question relevant to my original question?

 

[Akewej]

Hello!

We live in the countryside and our neighbor has an outbuilding with an asbestos roof. Today, when I was about to bring in our 14-month-old son from his morning nap, I saw that the neighbor is taking down the asbestos 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 that they are removing the sheets one by one and sliding them down along the battens onto a pallet that they have lifted up with a tractor at the bottom of the roof. He said some break in the middle, but otherwise, they take them down whole. However, he is only putting them openly on the pallet in the yard until he disposes of them instead of putting them in a plastic bag. I asked him to at least spray water on the roof while he was taking down the tiles, but I haven't checked if he's doing this.

He claims that there's no dust, but I know that there's always dust when you tear things down, so of course, there is dust even though it's not nearly as much as if you were cutting asbestos, for example. He says that there is more dust from the road, which is surely true, but the road consists of gravel and not asbestos! I know he couldn't possibly know how much dust he is releasing when he takes down the tiles. If the wind direction was away from our house, it would be less dangerous, but it's impossible to determine the wind direction.

Personally, I'm not very worried, but our little son was outside sleeping and was also outside 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 say how much my son has ingested, but it would be reassuring if someone knows more about this? How long does asbestos dust stay in the air, i.e., when can we go outside again? Is it possible the dust could blow in through ventilation in windows and doors, etc.?

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!

No need to be hysterical. Stay calm, please. You haven't been affected by anything, and at that distance, nothing will happen.
Use common sense, please.

 

[Mats_R]

Of course, the question is relevant. The reader may easily get the impression that you want to discredit and belittle your neighbor because of his age.
If you're a bit lucky and play your cards right, you will also become a 74-year-old gubbe (or kärring). Will your actions and opinions be worth less then?

 

[Sockerhög]

Someone has also claimed that there is asbestos in the air everywhere. Of course, there is not, what kind of nonsense is that? For example, there is no asbestos in the air in a house that has ventilation pipes made of asbestos. However, I agree that the OP has nothing to worry about. I have personally torn down an asbestos cement facade from my fairly large house and it didn't produce any dust at all I would say, even though I was breaking and throwing around lots of tiles.

Of course no asbestos in the air??? Source on that please.
One can find anything anywhere. It's just a matter of detection limits of the analysis methods.

 

[Goran177]

Hello!

We live in the countryside, and our neighbor has an outbuilding with an eternit roof. Today, when I went to bring in our 14-month-old son from his morning nap, I saw the neighbor is 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 they are taking down the tiles one by one and sliding them down the battens onto a pallet they've lifted up with their tractor at the bottom of the roof. He said some break in the middle, but otherwise, they take them down whole. However, he is just leaving them openly on the pallet in the yard until he can dispose of them, instead of putting them in plastic bags. I asked him to at least spray water on the roof while taking down the tiles, but I haven't checked if he's doing this.

Of course, he says there's no dust, but I know there's always dust when you demolish anything, so of course, there's dust, even if it's not nearly as much as if you cut the eternit, for example. He claims there's more dust from the road, which is probably true, but the road is made of gravel and not asbestos! I know he can't possibly know how much dust he's releasing when removing the tiles. If the wind blew from our house, it would be less dangerous, but it's impossible to figure out the wind direction.

For myself, I'm not particularly worried, but our little son was out sleeping and was also outside the day before when they were also removing the roof (without me knowing).

How dangerous can this be?! I understand it's impossible to say how much my son has been exposed to, but it would be nice if someone knows more about this. How long does asbestos dust stay in the air, i.e., when can we go outside again? Is it possible that it could blow in through drafts in windows and doors, etc.?

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!

You must be joking, are you even daring to be outdoors at all? As long as you’re not cutting or drilling them, there's no danger, and your baby was 80 meters away. If he got anything in him, it must be everywhere in the air,
Evacuate, yeah, one can only laugh at you.

 

[pelle plåttak]

recently completed a full certification course for asbestos remediation in connection with my profession. What TS describes doesn't sound particularly serious for TS and her children, I would be more worried about the one doing the demolition.

 

[Cruzze]

My grandfather eats asbestos for breakfast and he is 92 so there is nothing to worry about.

He's as-best...!

 

[Torpet123]

I posted a similar question about a year ago. Only then it was my husband who tore off the asbestos panels on the house. And by tore, I mean he took a scraper and knocked everything down to the ground.

I have googled a lot since then and also got very reassuring answers here, so I don't feel as worried anymore even though we have two small children. We weren't home when he tore it off (luckily) but were there in the days that followed. Don't worry

 

[Goran0]

Working with asbestos as a business owner is incredibly rigorously regulated with strict requirements for protective gear and handling. As a private individual, there are no regulations at all. The risk is incredibly small. There are still countries, including Canada, I might be wrong there, that produce asbestos.

 

[polaris78]

"Particles are dangerous" "You shouldn't release any particles at all that might harm someone"... But at the same time, you can't do more than try to take them down as much as possible and reduce the risk of breaking the tiles as much as possible. What more can you do that is feasible and economically justifiable? There is always some risk that a tile will be damaged when it's taken down from a roof, but you have to consider risks versus how long something takes and what it costs... and whether it can be done another way... Yes, the old man could wear a mask, but that's his business, the risk is likely greater that other things than asbestos are what will kill the old man, probably old age...

The only difference if an asbestos removal company had taken it down is probably that they'd have had masks on, most likely, and I've seen more removal companies cheat and take shortcuts that can harm others than private individuals who still try to take them down carefully... Often because it takes time to carefully do something and labor time becomes expensive... which also tempts companies doing removal to take shortcuts after quoting a price and make a quick profit by bending the rules.

That he didn't wrap them in plastic on the roof is, in my opinion, a wise choice, smarter to take them down whole and do the rest on the ground. A sensible decision to reduce the risk of spreading any dust from the sheets. After all, the sheets are legal to have both as facades and roofs (the ones that are already there) and since there isn't yet a date to completely ban those already in place, those who make decisions in this country have probably concluded that the risk of dying from asbestos fibers from a roof or facade that no one is touching is so low that the risk is deemed acceptable.

Do they even contain asbestos? Do we even know? Not all gray tiles on roofs contain asbestos, even though they look old… There are replacement tiles for repairs today that are identical but don't contain asbestos, and apparently, there were also models in the past that didn't contain asbestos depending on the manufacturer and what year they were made.

 

[tobost]

Of course, no asbestos in the air??? Source on that please. You can find everything everywhere. It's just a matter of detection limits on analysis methods.

Haha, can you find everything everywhere? Funny thought but no, you can't.

 

[Kalbygge]

The only one who wanders in the borderland to bad tone is you. The sugar comparison is entirely relevant.

Honestly! If anyone borders on a bad tone, it’s you!! The guy asking about asbestos is really nice and manages to keep a straight face despite the bad tone some posts have.

The guy is worried and seeking certain answers. When the response is that one is "ignorant," "bad tone," and a lot of other unrelated to asbestos concern, one has not understood the question. The internet spreads a lot of misinformation, that's true, but saying asbestos isn't more dangerous than baby food is also misinformation, etc. Most people who die in car accidents were wearing seat belts. From this information, which is entirely correct, can we say more would survive without seat belts? No, of course not!

Asbestos is dangerous, and it is prohibited to use. It requires protective equipment and permits to handle it professionally:

“If the material proves to contain asbestos and there is a risk of exposure to asbestos-containing dust during the work, a permit from the Swedish Work Environment Authority, special protective measures, protective equipment, and training are required to handle the asbestos-containing material.”
https://www.av.se/produktion-industri-och-logistik/asbest/

“Section 18: At a workplace where demolition as stated in Section 12, first paragraph is carried out, documents shall exist on 1. Swedish Work Environment Authority’s permit decision, 2. handling and protection instructions adapted to the current demolition work, 3. proof of asbestos training for those leading and participating in the demolition work, 4. certificates of such medical examinations as referred to in Section 49 (fitness certificates) for those participating in the demolition work, and 5. the details of the notification pursuant to Section 17, second paragraph. A person who operates a professional business alone or jointly with a family member without employees and those who operate such a business jointly are not required to comply with what is stated on fitness certificates according to the first paragraph point 4. In a place where work as referred to in Section 12, second paragraph is performed, documents shall exist on 1. handling and protection instructions adapted to the current work, and 2. proof of asbestos training for those leading and participating in the work.
Section 23: All work with asbestos and asbestos-containing material shall be planned, arranged, and executed so that exposure to asbestos-containing dust is as low as possible. The number of people who may be exposed to such dust shall be limited to as few people as possible. When planning the work, consideration shall be given to the risk of unforeseen exposure to asbestos-containing dust.
Section 24: In the handling described in Sections 10–11, the place where the activity is conducted shall be clearly delineated and clearly marked with the text: “Asbestos work – No unauthorized access.”
Section 29: For the handling described in Sections 11 and 12, those participating in the work shall wear full and tightly fitting protective clothing with headgear. They shall also use breathing protection that is adapted to exposure conditions and the user.
Section 30: Protective clothing shall be made of dust-repellent material and without pockets, lapels, or the like. Protective clothing and personal protective equipment shall be kept separate from other work and private clothes. Asbestos-contaminated protective clothing must not be washed together with other clothes."
https://www.av.se/globalassets/filer/publikationer/foreskrifter/asbest-foreskrifter-afs2006-1.pdf

It is possible that this does not apply to private individuals tearing down a roof, but the protective instructions indicate that there are significant risks. It's possible that there are no greater risks if one is 15 to 80 meters away in calm weather, but if the wind is blowing that way, the risk naturally increases. In any case, there is reason to be concerned. That concern is not alleviated by people claiming that road dust is more dangerous, baby food is also dangerous, or that you could drop the "baby." The original question quickly turned into one about the questioner himself, just like in a Flashbacks thread, which is the worst thing on the internet. These are answers that were not asked for.

I think there is reason to take measures such as staying indoors and closing ventilation, etc. If going out, wind direction should be observed, and one should not go where the wind can blow from the demolition area. The precautions can be compared to driving a car. If it is slippery, you drive slower, etc.

https://www.1177.se/Vastra-Gotaland...-miljo/tank-pa-asbestfaran-vid-husrenovering/ https://arbetet.se/2019/12/16/livsfarliga-brister-i-hanteringen-av-asbest/ https://www.skydda.se/skyddase/sv/a...2018/20181227-asbest-fortfarande-en-stor-risk

 

[Sockerhög]

Haha, can you find everything everywhere? Fun thought but no, you cannot.

Haha yourself, I must unfortunately say. You are obviously not schooled in modern scientific methodology. The term "does not exist" is not an existing term within analytical methodology, but everything boils down to what the detection limits are for the methods you use to analyze your surroundings.

 

[thomas33]

Asbestos is dangerous and it is forbidden to use. Protective gear and permits are required to handle it professionally:

If asbestos were as dangerous as some seem to believe, private individuals would never be allowed to handle it, or be forced to use protection during removal. There are many other substances that are significantly more dangerous and can only be handled by trained people with protection.

Until it was banned in the 1970s, asbestos was used as a miracle product. Brake pads, fire blankets, thermal protection, and even as artificial snow! If asbestos were so dangerous to even approach, large parts of the population born before the ban would have clear injuries today, and healthcare would have reported on this.

Sure, some people still get sick from handling asbestos today, but the fear of being affected when seeing someone demolish asbestos should be measured, especially if you don't work with it professionally without protection.

 

[Kalbygge]

If asbestos were as dangerous as some seem to think, private individuals would never have been allowed to handle it, or would also have been forced to use protection during removal. There are so many other things that are far more dangerous and can only be handled by trained people with protection.

Until the ban in the 1970s, asbestos was used as a miracle product. Brake pads, fire blankets, heat protection, and even as artificial snow! If asbestos were so dangerous to even get close, large parts of the population born before the ban would clearly have damage today and healthcare would have reported this.

Sure, some people even today get sick from handling asbestos, but it should be a reasonable fear to believe you'd be affected when watching someone dismantle asbestos, if you're not professionally working with it without protection.

The danger can be measured in the protective measures that the law requires. If it were harmless or just a little dangerous, there wouldn't be such a law. There are many things private individuals can do that are not regulated by law. The reason for this is that a private person is responsible for themselves and their actions, while a company is responsible for the health of its employees. That doesn't mean it is harmless. It's not forbidden to jump from a roof onto asphalt as a private person, but it's still dangerous from quite a low height.

But that wasn't what this thread was about; it was about a person feeling anxious. If you read the thread, you expect answers. It's okay for some not to think it's dangerous and that he can be calm, etc. But it's not okay to turn the whole thread into TS being an idiot for asking such questions. That results in silencing people, and then nothing has been gained at all.