Asbestos is a collective word for a number of minerals that are made up of small, needle-shaped fibres. It is often used for its good qualities, such as the fact that it is strong and not only wear-resistant, but also resistant to lye, acids and high temperatures, not to mention how cheap it is. Asbestos was extensively used after 1945 and up to the eighties. Loosely bound Asbestos has hardly been used since 1983, and its professional use and sale has been forbidden since 1993. Having been used extensively in the building of houses and all types of buildings, it was only later that it was discovered that asbestos can pose great health risks.

Risks

In the long term asbestos can cause certain types of cancer. Asbestos fibres are invisible to the bare eye, and when breathed in, can deeply penetrate the lungs. In the Netherlands, about 600 people die of cancer caused by ( often work -related) exposure to asbestos every year. Generally speaking, many years go by from the time asbestos was inhaled to the moment illness appears. The danger of asbestos lurks in the inhalation of the fibres, since as yet, asbestos fibres in food and water do not appear to be dangerous for your health.

Asbestos fibres are also present in the open air, but in such small quantities that the possible health risk is minimal. This is also the case when asbestos fibres are bound to sturdy materials, as then they cannot be breathed in.

Asbestos fibres are released if asbestos is not, or hardly not, bound to a carrier material ,or when the material is in bad condition. But even if material carrying asbestos is being demolished or treated in an unprofessional way ( as in sanding down, drilling, sawing and breaking) many millions of fibres are released into the air, remain floating for a long time, and are then inhaled. In order to prevent this happening, strict rules have been set up.

Bonded (tightly bound) and Loosely bound (Friable) Asbestos

'Tightly-bound' refers to asbestos materials in which the fibres are thoroughly anchored in a carrier material. If the material is in a state of good repair and is not treated in any way, or demolished, hardly any fibres will be released. A good example of tightly bound asbestos would be asbestos-cement, corrugated iron sheets, and flat, smooth sheets that are in a good state of repair - AC Sheeting.

'Loosely-bound' are those materials containing asbestos in which the fibres are either not, or just barely, bound to or encased in a carrier substance, such as spray asbestos, which is used as insulation and fireproofing material.  The fibres in this -almost fluid- material are therefore released extremely easily. But so also with weather-beaten asbestos-cement, which will crumble and thus release millions of fibres...

Asbestos in the room/apartment?

1983 is an important year, because since then, the dangerous, loosely bound asbestos has not been used at all, and there has been a marked decrease in the use of bonded asbestos, as can be seen in the diagram below:

 

Bouwperiode	aanwezigheid asbest	Frequentie
Na 1993/After '93	geen/none	nooit/never
1983-1993	zeer onwaarschijnlijk/very unlikely	zeer weinig/very seldom
1945-1982	zeer waarschijnlijk/very likely	zeer veel/very frequently
Voor 1945/Before	waarschijnlijk/probably	incidenteel/sporadically

IBB, TWC and Warande were built within the period between 1945-1982. For this reason SSH - Utrecht had an asbestos-inventory made up. You will find relevant information on the presence of asbestos-carrying materials on the info-pages which are arranged per complex. (click above on the name of the complex) 

More questions?

We can imagine that you may have questions concerning the presence of asbestos-carrying materials in the area where you live. You are welcome to contact us.