Exterior Cladding - Asbestos Product Concerns

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Exterior Cladding - Asbestos Product Concerns

1 | 2

concordnz

472 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

EMT (R)

#2542981 17-Aug-2020 15:59

A 4L Garden sprayer from Bunnings & a light spray with water before/as you install insulation - should keep all/any dust 'down' and give you peace of mind.

MattKPJ

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

ID Verified

#2543129 17-Aug-2020 17:51

Also - if I were you, I'd cancel the test. It's almost a dead certainty that it contains asbsestos - so having a positive test doesn't really help. May as well save the money for the removalists.

@nickb800 A very good point. However I was under the impression that to engage someone to remove it you had to have a positive test done prior? Did I get that wrong?

Thank you for the information regarding the building paper. I'll be sure to include it when I do the insulation.

Bung

6477 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#2543193 17-Aug-2020 19:32

MattKPJ:
@nickb800 A very good point. However I was under the impression that to engage someone to remove it you had to have a positive test done prior? Did I get that wrong?

Thank you for the information regarding the building paper. I'll be sure to include it when I do the insulation.

If it's more than 10m2 of asbestos wall panel to be removed professionally you need a licensed operator. A negative test is required if you want to treat it as asbestos free. This is usually more applicable to removing the textured coating on ceilings.

Grab a copy of NZS 4246:2016 Installing insulation in residential buildings from this page https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/maintenance-and-inspections/insulation/

MattKPJ

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

ID Verified

#2543195 17-Aug-2020 19:35

Cool thanks for the headsup Bung and for the link. I'll do some reading.

1101

3122 posts

Uber Geek

#2543698 18-Aug-2020 14:03

The risk is overblown.

Back in the 60,70,80,90's it was commonly chopped up, cut up
Kids used to play with the stuff
broken asbestos cement it was used for paths

People who worked with it live well past there 70's
My uncle worked in a NZ asbestos factory , he lived into his 70's

Sure , it only takes 1 fibre , but its not as bad as everyone makes out, otherwise a high % of NZ's would all have asbestos related cancers.
I did hear an Expert in this state that if you can see the fibres then its not a heath risk , the issue being the very thin fibres .

My house has plenty

Technofreak

6530 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2543764 18-Aug-2020 15:09

1101:

The risk is overblown.

Back in the 60,70,80,90's it was commonly chopped up, cut up
Kids used to play with the stuff
broken asbestos cement it was used for paths

People who worked with it live well past there 70's
My uncle worked in a NZ asbestos factory , he lived into his 70's

Sure , it only takes 1 fibre , but its not as bad as everyone makes out, otherwise a high % of NZ's would all have asbestos related cancers.
I did hear an Expert in this state that if you can see the fibres then its not a heath risk , the issue being the very thin fibres .

My house has plenty

You shouldn't come on here spouting such rational musings. 😉

A whole industry has grown up around the fear of asbestos, it won't do to try to undermine that.

Coal dust is worse than white asbestos yet there's not a ban on using coal.

Sony Xperia XA2 running Sailfish OS. https://sailfishos.org The true independent open source mobile OS
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Dell Inspiron 14z i5

Bung

6477 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#2544103 19-Aug-2020 07:15

1101:
The risk is overblown.

Back in the 60,70,80,90's it was commonly chopped up, cut up
Kids used to play with the stuff
broken asbestos cement it was used for paths

People who worked with it live well past there 70's
My uncle worked in a NZ asbestos factory , he lived into his 70's

Sure , it only takes 1 fibre , but its not as bad as everyone makes out, otherwise a high % of NZ's would all have asbestos related cancers.
I did hear an Expert in this state that if you can see the fibres then its not a heath risk , the issue being the very thin fibres .

My house has plenty

&nbsrp;

This was published in the Herald in 2016

"Researchers in 2000 predicted 12,000 people could die from asbestos-related illness in New Zealand and the death toll was expected to peak by 2015.

So far, 1696 mesothelioma deaths had been recorded in New Zealand between 1954 and 2011.

International evidence suggested each would be matched by two fatalities from asbestos-related lung cancer.

That would bring New Zealand's asbestos death toll to about 5100, excluding deaths from asbestosis, which were difficult to determine, a WorkSafe spokesman said.

It was expected the peak of asbestos-related disease would not be reached until sometime between 2030 and 2040, the spokesman said.

That was due to the long wait between exposure and disease - in some cases up to 55 years - and because the production of asbestos-containing building materials in New Zealand did not cease until 1987."
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11658866

If the predictions are accurate sometime over the next 20 years there's another 7000 people previously exposed to asbestos who will die of an asbestos related illness.

I think that is enough to make me very careful when dealing with it. I don't have another 60 years to wait but also don't want to be in the rare group where it only needs 10 -15 years.

I do think the removal industry is full of inconsistencies. Small fibro sheds and garage demolitions given the full toxic waste treatment when anyone can replace approx 3 sheets without needing a class B licence. Major work like the demolition of 61 Molesworth St Wellington made "safe" because the jaws of death ripping the building down had a hose spraying water. I watched it one day while the wind was carrying the spray away from the jaw's target.

Equinox IT

Cloud spending continues to surge globally, but most organisations haven’t made the changes necessary to maximise the value and cost-efficiency benefits of their cloud investments. Download the whitepaper From Overspend to Advantage now.

1101

3122 posts

Uber Geek

#2544452 19-Aug-2020 13:59

If you have young kids, then a 'better safe than sorry' approach is allways the way to go .

I do wonder just how much worse homes could be after asbestos removal.
Its safe if left alone , start removing it and theres no way you'll be 100% free of all the tiny fibres released during removal .

You might be better to demolish the house, then remove the topsoil & start again if really worried about asbestos .

Paul1977

5039 posts

Uber Geek

#2544618 19-Aug-2020 16:36

1101:

I do wonder just how much worse homes could be after asbestos removal.
Its safe if left alone , start removing it and theres no way you'll be 100% free of all the tiny fibres released during removal.

I'm sure I've read similar things. That in the mad panic to get rid of anything aspestos related in the 80s and 90s that they potentially put way more people at risk by disturbing asbestos that if left alone would not have been dangerous.

1 | 2