Do council houses have asbestos in the walls?

shadowdragon

I was drilling the stud wall yesterday and noticed another layer behind the plasterboard (which isnt the plasterboard on the other side of the wall i checked :rotfl:) I am assuming that its asbestos or other fire retarding, i think the houses were built in the 50 - 60s. Would this be correct?

unsure

It's perfectly possible. In the 1960's Asbestos was seen as a wonderful fire-retardant material and the health risks were not appreciated. There are different types of asbestos and some are more/less safe than others if left undisturbed. However, anything which creates asbestos dust (like drilling) is to be avoided. If you are not sure check with the council... and it's probably better to suspend drilling operations till you know for sure.

27col

I should not think that drilling a couple of small holes will present a health risk. But taking general precautions like wearing a mask and damping down would be a good idea.

Doozergirl

On the contrary, whilst it will be more common in people exposed to asbestos on a large scale, one fibre of asbestos can cause mesothelioma. The dust created by drilling is exactly the sort of dust you don't want to cause. It's fine left untouched, not fine to be drilled into.