What is asbestos?

Asbestos is a collective name for a number of minerals found in nature. The word has Greek origins and means “indestructible”. Asbestos is a strong, hard-wearing, insulating, fireproof and cheap material, which is why it was widely used in buildings. Specifically, white asbestos (chrysotile), blue asbestos (crocidolite) and brown asbestos (amosite) have been used. In the 1970s, it was discovered that inhalation of asbestos fibres could be harmful to health. As a result, the sale and use of asbestos in buildings have been prohibited since 1993. There is still a relatively high number of roofs containing asbestos today, especially in the agricultural sector. Asbestos can be found in three types of roofing materials: corrugated sheets, roof tiles and bitumen. Corrugated sheets are the most common application.

Hazards of asbestos

Asbestos is hazardous to health when loose asbestos fibres are inhaled. Asbestos fibres are invisible to the naked eye. The risk of the fibres being released depends on how the asbestos is bound in the material. Asbestos can be processed in two forms: bonded or friable. Bonded asbestos poses a lesser danger, as it releases little to no asbestos as long as the material is in good condition and is not being processed. As such, the removal of bonded asbestos is often not necessary. The risk is much greater with friable asbestos. When a roof is damaged or worn down by precipitation, wind or moss, asbestos fibres are released, which can be dangerous to your health.