The Future of Asbestos in Construction
Throughout the 20th century, asbestos was a staple within the international construction industry. Even today, asbestos continues to be widely used for a number of purposes, both in buildings and for other products. However, over the past few decades, many countries have restricted and even banned the use of asbestos due to the rise in associated diseases.
Why is it used?
Asbestos has a number of favourable property’s, including high heat and chemical resistance. It is also strong and durable. These properties made it a popular additive to many building products, as it improved their longevity and resistance.
Asbestos became a very popular mineral, which was used in both its natural form (such as loose fill insulation) and mixed to create asbestos containing materials (ACMs). There are over 3,500 different products made with asbestos, ranging from brake pads to decorative ceiling textures.
The Dangers of Asbestos in Construction
Despite the wonderful property’s asbestos contains, it is also extremely hazardous. It currently accounts for more than 100,000 deaths throughout the world each year. Microscopic asbestos fibres can become airborne, and cause damage and mutations to internal cells when ingested or inhaled.
There are a number of asbestos related diseases, including mesothelioma, asbestosis, asbestos-related lung cancer and pleural thickening. In most cases, it takes 20-50 years for an asbestos disease to develop after exposure, and mortality rates are often high.
Those most effected are workers in industries with high exposure to asbestos. Some of the most at risk occupations include firefighters, shipyard workers, demolition workers and construction workers. Exposure can also occur in the home, as a large percentage of residential buildings contain asbestos containing products.
One of the biggest problems is that asbestos identification can be difficult, as many it was often mixed with other materials to create ACMs. It is common for asbestos products to be made in conjunction with non-asbestos products, resulting in materials that appear the same on the outside, but have differing microscopic fibres.
Asbestos use around the world
Asbestos is banned in more than 50 countries around the world, including Australia, South Africa, Japan and the entire EU. Many of the countries who were early adopters of banning asbestos products have some of the highest mortality rates from asbestos related diseases.
There are number of noticeable countries who continue to use asbestos, despite the known health risks. Canada and the USA still use asbestos containing materials, but there are strong campaigns to stop the importation and use.
Where does asbestos come from?
Asbestos is a natural mineral that is mined from the ground. Historically, some of the biggest producers of asbestos were Australia and South Africa, but these nations have since banned all production and use of asbestos.
Currently, asbestos is still mined in a number of countries, including Brazil, Russia, India and China. These countries, along with Indonesia, also use the most asbestos of all the countries worldwide.
The Future of Asbestos
As many countries have already banned the use of asbestos, and others campaigning strongly to introduce bans, the use of asbestos or asbestos containing materials will almost certainly cease within the construction sector. However, the dangers will remain for several years to come.
A good example of the ongoing dangers presented by asbestos can be seen in the UK. The United Kingdom has some of the highest death rates linked to asbestos, despite having banned asbestos more than 15 years ago. There are two main reasons why asbestos will continue to be a problem; the long incubation period between exposure to asbestos and the diseases onset, and the large amount of asbestos that remains in buildings that were built prior to the ban.
In most cases, asbestos related diseases do not develop for 20-50 years after exposure. As many countries continue to use asbestos products, and others have only banned its use in the last 10-15 years, the full health impacts of asbestos aren’t likely to be known for some time.
Even if every country around the world stopped using asbestos, there would be millions-of-tonnes of asbestos and asbestos containing materials in homes and commercial buildings. These will require ongoing maintenance and management, or complete removal, to ensure they are safe for occupants. Some countries have introduced subsidies for the removal of the hazardous materials, such as in the Netherlands, where private owners can have asbestos roofing removed at a discounted rate.
The dangers of asbestos will continue for those working in construction, and particularly those working on older buildings. Occupational exposure currently causes far more fatalities than exposure in the home, however as buildings age and asbestos fibres are released into the air within a house, there is likely to be a shift in disease victims.