What is Asbestos and Why should you Detect it?

Asbestos is a generic term applied to a naturally occurring silicate mineral that is a known carcinogen - a substance that can cause cancer. Asbestos was used for its heat resistant properties in many products, mainly in buildings, ships and vehicles, in the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's.

There are two main types of asbestos: serpentine and amphibole. The serpentine fibre has a curved or wavy appearance (snake-like) and is more likely to break into long and thin particles. Almost 90% of asbestos that occurs today belongs to this type. Chrysotile or white asbestos is a kind of serpentine. The amphibole fibres are straight and long. They include amosite (brown asbestos), crocidolite (blue asbestos), actinolite and anthophyllite.

Asbestos containing materials are referred to as either friable or bonded. Friable asbestos is in the form of a powder, or can be crumbled, pulverized or reduced to powder by hand pressure when dry. Friable asbestos-containing materials include sprayed asbestos insulation, pipe and boiler insulation and non-bonded asbestos fabric. Bonded asbestos is difficult to damage by hand and includes materials such as asbestos-cement sheets, roof tiles, vinyl floor tiles and electrical switchboards.

The use of amosite (brown asbestos) and crocidolite (blue asbestos) was banned in Australia in the mid 1980's. Chrysotile (white asbestos), which was used mainly for the manufacture of packing and friction materials such as brake and clutch linings, has been banned since the 31st December, 2003.

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Asbestos usage

Asbestos became a popular commercial building product because it is non-combustible, resistant to corrosion, has a high strength and low electrical and thermal conductivity. Since the 1900's asbestos fibres have been mixed with various binding materials to create an estimated 3,000 different commercial products. The amount of asbestos contained in these products ranges from 1 to 100 percent.

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Common building materials that may contain asbestos

• Internal wall and ceiling sheeting.
• Roofing materials including tiles, shingles and sheet roofing.
• Vinyl floor tiles.
• Backing board to switches and fuses.
• Insualtion inside fire doors.

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The solution is simple

Asbestos is a deadly material. You can protect the health of people around you by calling QBM today. QBM can guide you through the whole asbestos detection process. Call one of our friendly staff to arrange an obligation free quote today.