Page 16 - October 2019

TACKLING

A PUBLIC

ENEMY

Every year, scores of tradespeople die as a direct consequence What is asbestos?
of coming in contact with what HSE has called ‘the hidden Asbestos is a group of minerals made
killer’: asbestos. Many of these are gas engineers, who risk of microscopic fibres. There are three
frequent exposure to asbestos fibres while working on older types of asbestos:
Crocidolite - blue asbestos
properties and appliances. Abigail Morrison, Senior Associate Amosite - brown asbestos
at JMW Solicitors, lays out the dangers of asbestos in the Chrysotile - white asbestos.
workplace and what you can do to mitigate them Before its dangers were known,
asbestos was used in the construction
of buildings, as well as in the
manufacturing and shipbuilding
sbestos is the biggest cause of Fibres cannot be seen or smelled industries, due to its affordability,
work-related deaths in the UK. when they are released into the air by insulation, strength and heat resistance.
According to the Health and an asbestos-containing material (ACM). Between the mid-1980s and
Safety Executive (HSE), more The impact on your health is late-1990s, a number of laws and
A than 5,000 deaths each year are determined by the number of fibres regulations were imposed restricting
caused by asbestos-related diseases, with inhaled and the length of time you the use of harmful substances,
around 20 tradespeople dying each week. are exposed to asbestos; frequent including asbestos. This culminated
When asbestos fibres are inhaled exposure makes you five times more in the Control of Asbestos Regulations
over a prolonged period of time, likely to contract lung cancer than the Act in 1999, which made the use of
they can cause damage to the lungs, general population. asbestos illegal. However, any industrial
resulting in a wide range of health Conditions related to asbestos or residential building that was
problems, including: exposure often have long latency constructed before the year 2000 has
Mesothelioma - a cancer of the inner periods, with symptoms not presenting the potential to contain asbestos.
lining of the chest wall or abdominal themselves for between 30 and 40
cavity years, although in some cases this is up Where can asbestos be found?
Lung cancer to 60 years after exposure. Diseases can All property types are different, but
Asbestosis - scarring of the lungs be very debilitating and significantly there are certain places in a building
Non-malignant pleural disease shorten the lifespan of the sufferer. where asbestos can be found, including:

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