The neighbor is tearing down an asbestos cement roof!

[Demmpa]

If asbestos had been as dangerous as some seem to believe, private individuals would never have been allowed to handle it, or would have been forced to use protection during removal. There are many other things that are significantly more dangerous and that only trained people with protection are allowed to handle.

Can only agree, it's just a matter of comparing with, for example, pesticides that have three main classes (1, 2 & 3) of which only one class (3) can be used by private individuals.
https://www.kemi.se/bekampningsmedel/behorighetsklasser

 

[tobost]

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

I may not have the grounds to say this, but I dare to say that not all kinds of molecules and chemical compounds are near my nose at this moment. Regardless of the measurement method.

Regarding why private individuals are allowed to handle it, perhaps it is mainly for practical reasons. There is asbestos in countless houses. There are more prohibitions that do not apply to private life. Smoking, for example. It has finally been banned in almost all work environments, but at home, it is allowed.

 

[ingo_69]

The risk at that distance is likely to be very small as you quickly get a strong dilution—if the wind was blowing in that direction. It is rather the neighbor who exposed themselves to risk. Very clumsy behavior.

 

[Kalbygge]

The risk at that distance is likely to be very small as you quickly get a strong dilution—if the wind was blowing that way. It's more the neighbor who exposed themselves to risk. Very clumsy behavior.

I agree. The neighbor should have painted the tiles with some cheap paint first and used a respirator.

 

[Plupp 52827]

I really shouldn't say anything as I also have asbestos anxiety, but even in my book, this is nonsense. How many people actually know what eternit roofs are? How many people haven't lived within an 80-meter radius of a neighbor who's been tearing apart their eternit roof/walls without having a clue about it. My goodness, it must be really exhausting to worry about something so far-fetched. Do you understand how many dangers there are in life? Where does this "risk" rank on that list? Number 199,690? I think you actually need therapy. Maybe antidepressants. I'm not joking.

 

[thomas33]

The danger can be measured by the protective measures required by law. If it were harmless or only slightly dangerous, there would be no such law. There are many things private individuals can do that are not regulated by law. The reason for this is that a private individual is responsible for themselves and their actions, while a company is responsible for employees' health. That doesn't mean it's harmless. It is not forbidden for a private person to jump from a roof onto the asphalt, but it's equally dangerous even at a relatively low height.

But that's not what this thread was about, it was about a person who feels anxious. Reading the thread, one expects answers. It's okay if some do not think it's dangerous and he can be calm, etc. But it's not okay to steer the whole thread to make the original poster seem like an idiot for asking such questions. This results in silencing people and then nothing is gained.

I and many others have not at all tried to say that the original poster is an idiot for asking, but instead to be reasonable. Not like some internet trolls want us to believe, that asbestos is something akin to nerve gas. We have ALL been exposed to a lot of asbestos particles during the 1900s, until its production, sale, and use were banned. Only then did the levels of asbestos in the air around us decrease and we began to protect ourselves. Even if we didn't work with it, we encountered it in daily life, as it was almost everywhere.
The small amount released today during demolition is a fraction of the spread that occurred back then.

Not unnecessarily standing next to someone demolishing asbestos is in most cases sufficient protection, as long as you do not often find yourself in that situation.

 

[Stego1]

Well, what can I say? It seems a bit overhyped with the asbestos. Almost every car has more or less asbestos in its brake pads. The idea that the small amounts released would make any significant difference is pure fantasy. You can be worried if you want, but there are other much larger and more common dangers that are probably better to worry about than negligible amounts of asbestos. Unfortunately, today's parents believe they can shield their children from everything bad in everyday life.

 

[polaris78]

Well, what can I say. It seems to be a bit overhyped with the asbestos. Every car more or less has asbestos in its brake pads. That the small amounts that would come out would make any difference is pure utopia. You can be worried if you want, but other much bigger and more common dangers are probably better to worry about than negligible amounts of asbestos. Unfortunately, today's parents think they can shield their kids from all the bad things that exist in everyday life.

Hasn't asbestos in car brakes and clutches been banned since the 80s?

So there should be quite few that even still run and those few that are still around have likely had their brakes and clutches replaced since then, so the risk of finding asbestos there is probably low. Then there are probably not much nicer things in the replacement materials, but we'll find out in 20 years that they were even more dangerous

 

[ingo_69]

No barriers and no water. We clean a lot of roofs and we follow the rules. There are no risks for outsiders who don't work with it daily. Very few fibers are released if at all. Depending on the condition. Outdoors is not dangerous, but indoors it's a different story... as someone wrote, you get more dirt in your lungs from road dust than from asbestos...

Road dust can't be compared to asbestos, can it?
It's not even stone dust, but just larger dust particles that don't get stuck in the lungs.

 

[Staffans2000]

Agree. The neighbor should have painted the tiles with some cheap paint first and used a respirator.

Why is that?

 

[Qunaki]

The worst thing, in my opinion, is that in Russia they continue to mine asbestos even today.
A fiber cement sheet with cement, with embedded asbestos, is in a way peanuts in comparison...

The world is freaking upside down, there are, unfortunately, much worse things out there than eternit.
How 10 million Swedes are supposed to save the mess (read: the planet), is still a mystery to me, regardless of what we do.

 

[Demmpa]

@Qunaki source on that please!

 

[SvarteLeif]

I would be more terrified as soon as someone grills or heats the house with something like wood/pellets than when the old man tears down the roof

 

[john.h]

@Qunaki source on that please!

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/07/world/europe/asbestos-russia-mine.html

 

[greenhouse]

Sounds good with a good tone. Go ahead and start, I know - stop calling your neighbor a "74-year-old geezer."

It is a good tone, he is just a 74-year-old geezer. I didn't call him a 45-year-old transgender. That would be factually incorrect. As for its relevance, no of course not. But now the Byggahus experts have dissected my original question down to the smallest word. Where are you going with that other than throwing dirt? If you think the thread is idiotic, then refrain from writing in it.

It would be easier to listen to your tips and advice if you weren't simultaneously looking for the smallest detail to demonstrate your “competence”.