Is this asbestos in my garage? Garden office woes.

andrewf75

Just saw the bit about not being sure how to cut a bit out. Mine had huge cracks in so was easy as was falling apart anyway but you should be able to just snap a bit off the edge with pliers?

EachPenny

PrinnyPree wrote: »

Edit: TBF I was expecting the quote to be much worse and start with a 2, now the question is do I pay to have it tested or just assume it's asbestos and not waste any more money confirming what most people suspect. (I'm unsure whether I would be confident cutting a piece out to send to test myself safely)

I think at this stage I'd get a couple of other quotes to confirm the figure is realistic and decide on testing on the basis of what the other quotes come back at.

For me the idea of breaking lumps off for testing isn't a great plan unless you really need to. But specifically the quote seems to confirm what I suspected which is the walls might be asbestos too. Flat sheet 'asbestos' has a far greater range of types (i.e. risk levels) than corrugated roofing sheet and I really wouldn't want to be breaking lumps of that without knowing already what I was dealing with. So for me it would either be a case of getting a professional in to take a sample, or else to work on the assumption it is asbestos and pay for the removal accordingly.

PrinnyPree

Got it properly tested for approx £100 inc VAT (called someone out in the end as I was frightened) and it turned out to be asbestos on both the roof and the walls, thanks everyone for the advice.

EachPenny

PrinnyPree wrote: »

Got it properly tested for approx £100 inc VAT (called someone out in the end as I was frightened) and it turned out to be asbestos on both the roof and the walls, thanks everyone for the advice.

Thanks for the update.

It would be interesting to know what types were found (blue, brown, white) and whether the walls were asbestos cement, or another kind of asbestos product.

PrinnyPree

Total Number of Samples 2 Date Analyse
26/03/2018
Scope
-
iT Ref
Number
Client Sample
Identification
Sample Location
and details
Sample/Material
Type
Analysis Result
Content
BS002998
1
Roof
-
Cement panels
Cement Product
Chrysotile +
Crocidolite
Positive
BS002999
2
Walls
-
Cement panels
Cement Product
Chrysotile +
Crocidolite
Positive

sorry the info copied in a stupid vertical format >_<

Basically Chrysotile (white) and Crocidolite (blue) found in both the roof and walls.

EachPenny

PrinnyPree wrote: »

sorry the info copied in a stupid vertical format >_<
Basically Chrysotile (white) and Crocidolite (blue) found in both the roof and walls.

Much appreciated. Given the presence of Crocidolite the cost of the testing and taking a cautious approach was a good plan.

It's a useful reminder to people that the idea asbestos cement is 'safe' is a myth - the type of fibres you might be exposed to dealing with this stuff is highly variable.

Hopefully you'll be able to get a competent contractor to remove it safely without breaking the bank.