Replacing plaster and lath ceiling - asbestos risk

Olistanding

I have just had a survey back on a period house with original plaster and lath ceilings in place. In one of the bedrooms the plaster has come away from the lath to the extent it needs ripping down and replacing with plaster board.

The survey flags the risk that there are several coatings under the ceiling and this could include asbestos including artex that could be disturbed when the ceiling is pulled down (particularly given it is used on other ceilings in the house).

Would you push for an asbestos test prior to buying the house? Wary it could be quite a painful job if it did have asbestos and also that it is meant to be our toddlers room

FreeBear

Testing for asbestos involves taking a sample and sending to a lab. The vendor may not be happy with someone gouging a (small) lump out of the ceiling. But if it is already falling down, they may be willing to allow for samples to be taken. You can ask, and they could just say no.

Bigphil1474

OP, there's 2 schools of thought - get it tested and deal with accordingly, or assume it contains asbestos and deal with accordingly. All comes down to price. I've not paid for an asbestos test but presumably it isn't cheap. Do you have a plasterer contact? They might give you an idea on price. Obviously having it tested and it coming back as not asbestos is the best case scenario.

The room being your toddlers room is irrelevant, as if it is asbestos the entire room should be cleared which includes an air clearance test afterwards to ensure there are no asbestos fibres remaining after clearance. If it does contain asbestos it will cost an awful lot more to remove.

Personally, I'd find out how much it is to have the testing done, if it's a cost you can bear, ask the vendor to pay, and if they refuse, pay for it yourself. Depends on the vendor's need to sell the house I suppose.

Bigphil1474

OP, there's 2 schools of thought - get it tested and deal with accordingly, or assume it contains asbestos and deal with accordingly. All comes down to price. I've not paid for an asbestos test but presumably it isn't cheap. Do you have a plasterer contact? They might give you an idea on price. Obviously having it tested and it coming back as not asbestos is the best case scenario.

The room being your toddlers room is irrelevant, as if it is asbestos the entire room should be cleared which includes an air clearance test afterwards to ensure there are no asbestos fibres remaining after clearance. If it does contain asbestos it will cost an awful lot more to remove.

Personally, I'd find out how much it is to have the testing done, if it's a cost you can bear, ask the vendor to pay, and if they refuse, pay for it yourself. Depends on the vendor's need to sell the house I suppose.

FreeBear

Bigphil1474 said: I've not paid for an asbestos test but presumably it isn't cheap.

£30-£100 for a DIY kit depending on the number of samples. You buy the kit, (following the instructions) take samples of the suspect material, and then send it off. A few days later, get the results.

If you pay someone to come and take the samples, the cost will be quite a bit higher and you still have to wait for the results.

stuart45

You'd need samples from every ceiling, as they could easily have been done at different times.

Olistanding

There is also artex on the ceiling in another room which is cracked. Would you be concerned about the prospect of this concerning asbestos or am I over worrying? I know it hasn't been included in artex for a while but it's not possible to tell how old it is beyond it looking fairly dated

Gunner276

The amount of asbestos in artex was extremely small, and it is white asbestos which is the least dangerous form.

White asbestos is shaped like a spiral so isn't as irritating as brown or blue asbestos which are needle like. Also unlike brown and blue asbestos your body does break down white asbestos so it doesn't hang around in your lungs for long.

Section62

Gunner276 said:

The amount of asbestos in artex was extremely small, and it is white asbestos which is the least dangerous form.

One of the problems with artex-like materials is the considerable variety in types, and the difficulty in identifying them.  The point above in only true to a certain extent.  As well as the pre-mixed version of artex-type materials, there were (are) also powdered forms which were mixed with water and asbestos fibre on site.

Therefore the quantity of asbestos and the fibre type are dependent on what the tradesperson did in preparing the material for application.  There is no way of knowing - without testing - whether they used a smaller or larger amount of fibre, nor whether they mixed in asbestos fibres other than white.

It isn't safe to assume artex-type materials are low asbestos content and only white fibre.

Gunner276 said:

White asbestos is shaped like a spiral so isn't as irritating as brown or blue asbestos which are needle like. Also unlike brown and blue asbestos your body does break down white asbestos so it doesn't hang around in your lungs for long.

Nevertheless, it isn't a good idea to work on a material - especially an asbestos-containing material - in a way which means you are inhaling or ingesting particles.  Whilst the risks associated with white asbestos are currently considered to be lower than for blue or brown, the overall message from the history of asbestos use is that it is something to avoid exposure to.