What to do with asbestos-containing materials in your home

Know more about ACM and learn what you should do when you discover them in your home

When doing any renovation work on your home, one of the most important aspects that you should consider is the presence of asbestos. Widely used in construction for insulation, fireproofing and strengthening material, a lot of older houses were built with asbestos in the walls and roofs, among others. However, exposure to asbestos fibres cause several types of cancers, that’s why most countries have banned its use. For older structures, as long as it stays untouched in walls, it won’t pose a threat to people. However, it is important to plan for its removal over time, as it can be costly and will require professional help.

Knowing when a structure was built is the first step to knowing if you need to deal with asbestos or not. The ban on building materials using asbestos started in 2000, so if your home was built after that, you are safe. However, if your home was built before, there’s a big chance that it was constructed using materials containing these harmful fibres. Don’t panic and definitely don’t start tearing down walls yourself. Again, in a compacted form, you are safe from any exposure. It will stay that way unless a part of a wall crumbles, exposing that layer of asbestos.

The fact that your home could be harbouring cancer-causing materials can be unnerving, but just think that knowing about the problem is already a big step in solving it. You can get the materials tested first before diving headfirst into a major renovation project. This way, you can identify if there’s a risk of exposure to the homeowners as well as the contractors. Licensed removal companies can test for the presence of asbestos and promptly remove them from your home. These companies are capable of identifying asbestos materials, and would often employ licensed testers to properly inspect your home.

Asbestos maintenance or removal is a unique home improvement project that you simply can’t ignore or choose to DIY. There are plenty of risks involved, especially if you don’t do anything about it after being made aware of its presence.

DIY vs. professional removal of asbestos-containing materials

If you think the scale of your renovation work is small enough to DIY, you can go ahead and try. Indeed, you can save up a good chunk of your budget through elbow grease, but is it really worth the risk?

You should also know that government regulations allow only a small amount of removal work for the property owners to DIY. There are conditions that you have to meet, like the limitation stating that the asbestos materials being removed won’t exceed a 10 square meter area, and that these should be non-friable. This simply means the asbestos contained will remain packed and won’t become airborne. Again, that’s only 10 square meters, cumulative of the whole removal project. So whether you’re working on a 100 or 500 square metres, the allowed DIY area remains the same. If you need to remove more than that, you need the help of a licensed remover.

Even with extensive construction experience, it’s hard to risk DIY asbestos removal just to save a couple of bucks. You need the right tools and knowledge for the job, or else you’re exposing yourself and your family to a life-threatening substance that can easily spread if you’re not careful.

What are asbestos-containing materials (ACM) in my home?

Again, if your home was built after the year 2000, you don’t have to worry about any asbestos containing materials, as they’re practically outlawed by the government. You don’t have to worry about special measures before any demolition projects for renovations and the like.

For older structures, however, you should be cautious about any renovation project that might tear into walls, floors, or ceilings, as they can have asbestos in them. The first step is to identify which parts will be torn down or affected by a construction project and assess the presence of asbestos.

When you’re doing an interior renovation, some of the key areas to consider include old floor tiles, ceiling tiles, or even the sprayed ceilings, which is the trend in the 70s. These tiles used asbestos for strengthening and insulation. It’s a well-known insulator, so these tiles were used because they’re good at retaining the heat inside the homes. You can find them in partition walls, soffit panels, and more. On paper, asbestos is the perfect construction material because it allowed you to have durable materials for your walls and panels without spending a lot.

Asbestos can also be found in wet area materials, usually on your kitchen or bathroom. Tiles in your bathroom, your toilet seat and cistern, among others, could contain asbestos because of its waterproofing qualities. It won’t go soggy, deteriorate, and rot even when constantly exposed to moisture.

You should also watch out for asbestos in roof shingles and flashing, as well as your wall linings. Again, asbestos was used for strengthening the materials, as well as effective fireproofing because of its high heat resistance. This is also why it’s used to insulate around water heaters, plumbing pipes, and ducts, among others.

For exterior renovations, you need to be mindful of the cement-based cladding layer outside your home. Asbestos is a very versatile construction material that even when exposed to any kind of weather, it still retains its strength and durability. Unfortunately, while the exterior panels and coatings add to the aesthetics and protect the home from the elements, it could be packed full of cancer-causing fibres. Other exterior parts that you need to inspect include the pipe cement and joint compounds, as well as the cement-based underground pipes.

What you should do after discovering ACM in your home

After confirming that your home indeed has various asbestos-containing materials, the best course of action would be to get them removed. But that’s impossible to pull off with a limited budget or if it entails a major renovation. What you can do instead is to have it properly surveyed by professionals to determine if you can keep the materials safe and under control. They are safe provided that they are well maintained, and that the fibres won’t spread in the air.