If you are concerned there may be Asbestos in your home, workplace or building then how can you identify whether it is an Asbestos Containing Material (ACM)? Well, first a bit of a disclaimer – from a scientific and legal point of view, the only way to conclusively identify whether a material contains Asbestos or not, must be through Asbestos testing and laboratory analysis. The sample(s) must be collected by a trained, qualified and competent Asbestos professional and the analysis must be conducted by an impartially accredited laboratory conforming to ISO/IEC 17025 international standards. Laboratories are available within Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and laboratories based in the United Kingdom must hold the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) accreditation to perform bulk sample analysis. If multiple samples are to be collected, you may consider a full Asbestos survey of your building or facility.
That said, there are ways in which you may be able to make a strong presumption as to whether a building/material contains Asbestos or not.
Age of the Building
Asbestos was banned in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in November 2006. If a building was constructed before this date, then there is a good chance that it could contain Asbestos. It should be noted that there have been many occurrences of Asbestos being installed in buildings built after the prohibition date, and within newly constructed properties (see ‘Asbestos found in new buildings in Dubai and Abu Dhabi despite ban’ The National – 2015). Other countries have different prohibition dates that should be considered when risk assessing a property for Asbestos based on construction date.
Properties of Asbestos
Asbestos has the following key properties:
Heat and fire resistant;
Chemically resistant; and
Acoustic attenuation / sound deafening.
Common Asbestos Locations
Due to the properties listed above, you are more likely to find Asbestos in areas where fire proofing and fire-resistant materials are required. These could include fire escape routes, around heating and plant systems/rooms and areas where there is a fire risk, or fire protection is needed. Typical fireproof materials that have been known to contain Asbestos are Asbestos insulation (laggings) and fire proof partition boards and Asbestos ceiling tiles. Gaskets are often constructed of Asbestos because they need to be both heat resistant and chemically resistant. Finally, in any areas where you have a quiet area next to a loud area, you may find Asbestos in the form of insulations and boards – used as sound deafening between the areas.
Fibrous Materials
Asbestos materials are often (but not always) fibrous – that is you can see Asbestos fibers protruding from the material. This usually is only possible if there is an area of damage, or an unsealed edge and only works with certain types of Asbestos material e.g. Asbestos cement, Asbestos Insulating Board (AIB). It will not be possible with Asbestos vinyl floor tiles and Asbestos bitumen for example. The presence of fibers does not necessarily mean the material is Asbestos (it could be a man-made fiber, natural organic, ceramic fiber etc.), but to the trained eye it can be an indication that further sampling and analysis should be undertaken.
Miscellaneous Factors
Asbestos materials are often dimpled – especially when in the form of AIB, have a dull sound when they are tapped and are often grey in color. These last characteristics are for information only and not conclusive enough to establish whether a material contains Asbestos or not.
Final Thoughts
The factors listed above will help you to assess whether there is a potential Asbestos threat in your building, however it is always preferable to engage a competent Asbestos professional. This should be a company or individual with the appropriate registration (e.g. OSHAD or DM registration) and qualifications. Certified Asbestos consultant(s) will have the appropriate insurances, competency and expertise for the works and will help you avoid, in the case of a company, any potential reputational risk.
In the next blog post, we will discuss the key elements and principles that should be used for Asbestos removal.
If you have any Asbestos related concerns, contact us to see how Anthesis Consulting Middle East can help you:
Charles Faulkner (Head of Environment, Health and Safety and Asbestos Team Leader)
Phone: +971 (0) 50 5541 320
Email: asbestos@anthesisgroup.com