How Safe is my asbestos roofed shed ??

[Minty]

Hi Guys, having taken on my first allotment about a fortnight ago i have finally got around to going in to the old shed that came with it. On inspection i find it has an asbestos sloping roof. Should i have this removed and are there many of you with the same issue, Thanks Minty

[Peter]

Hi Guys, having taken on my first allotment about a fortnight ago i have finally got around to going in to the old shed that came with it. On inspection i find it has an asbestos sloping roof. Should i have this removed and are there many of you with the same issue, Thanks Minty

I assume this is the concrete type sheet, corrugated about quarter inch or less thick?

Provided it is unbroken it should be fine, if worried paint it with something like car underseal.

The main danger with this stuff is when you start to dismantle it, if it breaks it will release small pieces as it breaks, this is near enough to you the dismantler to be inhaled, or get on you and be inhaled later.

You then encounter the next problem, it is hazardous waste and your responsibility (and £££) to dispose of safely. Has tp be bagged in special labelled bags..... etc.

[pigletwillie]

Asbestos sheets are actually cementaceous boards and are actually quite safe if left in situ.

The sheets should not be drilled, burnt or smashed but can be readily painted if required to stop any flaking.

Any mention of asbestos instantly has people running for cover but these boards are very much at the low end of the scale. If you feel uncomfortable with it then you should remove it in whole sections and dispose of it at your local tip in the appropriate container. You may need to fill in a form before you are allowed to dispose of it.

Sheets of cementaceous asbestos should not be confused with the kind that was used to lag pipes. That is deadly and works with a 40 year fuse (as in it will get you 40 years down the line) and requires licenced disposal.

[waynebeddall]

Asbestos sheets are actually cementaceous boards and are actually quite safe if left in situ.

The sheets should not be drilled, burnt or smashed but can be readily painted if required to stop any flaking.

Any mention of asbestos instantly has people running for cover but these boards are very much at the low end of the scale. If you feel uncomfortable with it then you should remove it in whole sections and dispose of it at your local tip in the appropriate container. You may need to fill in a form before you are allowed to dispose of it.

Sheets of cementaceous asbestos should not be confused with the kind that was used to lag pipes. That is deadly and works with a 40 year fuse (as in it will get you 40 years down the line) and requires licenced disposal.

Hi our council will remove any asbestos that we find on the site free of charge. So if you are worried then ask your local council the should remove it fot free

[The Doctor]

Surely, if it's a council site and the asbestos was already there, the council are obliged to remove it anyway?

[xspye]

Hi our council will remove any asbestos that we find on the site free of charge. So if you are worried then ask your local council the should remove it fot free

Not all councils will remove it for free and not all civil amenities sites will accept it. If you are planning to remove it make sure you keep it damp and disturb it as little as possible. As others have said it is a fairly stable form of asbestos and provided it is in good repair is probably better left in place.