corrugated garage roof - asbestos or not?

andrewf75

stator wrote: »

Assume it is asbestos.
It's safe to remove yourself, just find bags big enough.

The question is, how is it secured? Assuming it's bolts, are they going to come out? They're probably rusted too much. Can you get access to them to use a hacksaw or other cutting implement?

Yeah I think it is fair to assume it is asbestos.
This is why I'm reluctant to DIY. Not worried about bagging up the sheets and taking to the tip, but getting the sheets off could be tricky.
I guess I could get someone to do the job but leave the sheets for me to dispose of

Niv

If you are not happy to do the job yourself just get someone in and get them to bag it up for you.


If the sheets are broken to the extent you can see daylight, take a look to see if you can see white fibres along the cracked edges - if there is then it is almost certainly asbestos, although there are some cases where glass fibre has been used as a substitute. A photo would help but officially others are correct in that a positive cannot be confirmed without lab analysis - although I must say I used to do the lab analysis and was never wrong on a visual of cement.

andrewf75

I will take some pics later and post them for your expert analysis, thanks!

andrewf75

OK pics hopefully attached, not sure if they are clear enough to see properly






h

[Deleted User]

Hi,

just had to turn the picture, was getting a sore neck.

lg13mza

I've recently took ours down, but I wanted to test first to check if I needed to 'be careful' or not. Only cost £20: https://www.comptonspares.com/asbestos-garage-removal/

Niv

Cant see a close up enough to see fibres but by the pattern on the underside it looks like asbestos cement. How many corrugations per sheet? 6?

EachPenny

I'm gobsmacked that people are offering asbestos identification via pictures posted on the internet :eek:

It is asbestos unless you can prove otherwise, and you can only do that by testing, and removing a sample to test poses a health risk itself.

Before doing anything with asbestos - and that includes suggesting people take a DIY approach - you should read the HSE guidance http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/

It has already started to degrade which means any asbestos fibres present may already be free.

A question for the OP - how much do you think it would cost to buy a new pair of lungs? Is saving a few hundred quid to get it removed professionally worth ruining your health and potentially putting other people at risk?

andrewf75

Not about to take any risks. My opening post said how do I safely take a sample! I am treating it as asbestos unless proved othereise. Also I have done enough research to know that the stuff used in these roofing sheets is not the really lethal stuff.

EachPenny

andrewf75 wrote: »

Also I have done enough research to know that the stuff used in these roofing sheets is not the really lethal stuff.

Unfortunately this is one of the problems with the DIY approach. All forms of asbestos commonly used in building products have the potential to cause mesothelioma - which is deadly.

Assuming your roofing product doesn't contain the 'really lethal stuff' could be a fatal decision.

Unless the material is sampled and tested there is no way of knowing which type of asbestos fibre (if any) was used in an asbestos cement product like roofing sheets. Some fibre types are more likely to be used in particular types of products than other fibre types, but which type you are dealing with can only be confirmed by testing.

Sadly there will be people dying from mesothelioma in the future who will say they only ever came into contact with asbestos cement products and thought they were 'safe'.