How concerned should I be about asbestos

Frugal_Financial_Freedom

Hi all,

I've recently moved into a new place that has a brickwork outhouse, including an old toilet, that I want to convert into a workspace. The outhouse was built soon after WW2.

From what I can tell, removing a toilet and capping the soil waste pipe is fairly simple, but I'm curious to know how much I should be concerned about asbestos when dealing with the pipework - I'll be cutting down the soil pipe to below ground level.

Is this something people generally worry about when it comes to messing around with pipes or am I just being overly cautious?

I know its hard to tell without a pic, so I guess another way to phrase it would be - how concerned are people generally when it comes to asbestos and DIY? My DW says I'm being overly worried and has never given it a thought in decades of occasionally extensive home repairs.

Thanks

-taff

Is the pipe not cast iron?

Frugal_Financial_Freedom

I'll have a proper look today - but I thought there was an insidious element to asbestos in that it's very hard to tell what has been reinforced with it and what hasnt?

Norman_Castle

My DW says I'm being overly worried and has never given it a thought in decades of occasionally extensive home repairs.

Maybe your DW (wife?) would be happy ignoring potential asbestos but if you think there is a risk then take precautions.

EachPenny

ruhe wrote: »

There is a type of Asbestos called Chrysotile which was mixed in with cement and other materials like artex. You can google Chrysotile for more information. You can get it tested or you can buy kits which somehow test it. It's commonly called white asbestos.

This is also misleading information.

Different types of asbestos fibre were used in different products, often one product can contain more than one type of fibre. Asbestos cement and similar products are not limited to using 'white' asbestos.

Rather than giving half the story it is better to simply direct people to a reliable source of information like the HSE website.

EachPenny

Frugal_Financial_Freedom wrote: »

I've recently moved into a new place that has a brickwork outhouse, including an old toilet, that I want to convert into a workspace. The outhouse was built soon after WW2.

From what I can tell, removing a toilet and capping the soil waste pipe is fairly simple, but I'm curious to know how much I should be concerned about asbestos when dealing with the pipework - I'll be cutting down the soil pipe to below ground level.

Asbestos has been used in drain/soil pipes of various types. Two common types are asbestos cement and pitch fibre.

If the pipework is original then it is more likely that soon after WW2 the pipework would be clay below ground and cast iron above ground, but there are no hard and fast rules, and every possibility the pipework has been replaced or adapted over the years.

It also isn't just the pipework you need to think about - it is possible that an 'old' toilet cistern is made from asbestos. Also watch out for floor tiles containing asbestos, asbestos insulation panels, and perhaps asbestos roofing/roof insulation.

Read the advice on the HSE website and decide how best to tackle the project.

Frugal_Financial_Freedom wrote: »

My DW says I'm being overly worried and has never given it a thought in decades of occasionally extensive home repairs.

You might want to suggest your DW reads some of the newspaper reports about the DW's of men who worked with asbestos dying from asbestos related diseases simply by washing their DH's clothes. They too never gave the risks of asbestos a thought, although they had the excuse that not enough information was in the public domain about how dangerous the stuff can be.

It is crazy for anybody in 2018 not to inform themselves about the risks and take appropriate action, rather than dismissing the risk as "being overly worried".

Frugal_Financial_Freedom

Thanks everyone for your input! I think caution will prevail in this instance and I'll treat it as if it is made with asbestos and act accordingly.

I made my other half out to sound like she was being flippant about asbestos - she is a proper country bumpkin and only ever lived in houses that were hundreds of years old when she was growing up so that's no doubt why she wasn't too concerned

Mokka

You will get it tested very quickly, The kit comes with overalls etc. Use an accredited lab. Better be safe than sorry.