Flood damaged property - being aware of asbestos containing building materials
Dear Tamaki Makaurau Auckland,
What a week we have had already. Very few of us knew what was coming on Friday 27 January, let alone the scale of devastation that would befall our big city.
Firstly, please know that our thoughts are with the families of those who have died in the floods. Also, to those who have been displaced due to property damage and landslips, we hope you have found safety for the time being. The SQN team are all working in our local communities to help where we can.
This is definitely not what we planned for our first blog of 2023, but here we are. Hopefully, you will find the information we are sharing useful for these adverse times.
If you are worried about the flood damage to your property, please contact us now for free advice and support.
Dealing with flood damaged buildings can be a challenging and stressful experience. This is especially true if the buildings might contain asbestos containing materials. Asbestos is harmful to your health if not dealt with carefully. The fibres can cause cancers, like mesothelioma, to develop over time, so it is important to take the necessary precautions to protect your health and the health of others.
If you have been impacted by the floods in Auckland (or any flood if you are reading this in the future) and are concerned about the potential presence of asbestos containing materials, here are the main risk factors:
Your property was built before the year 2016
While we find asbestos most commonly in buildings constructed or upgraded in the 1950s-1980s, asbestos was not totally banned until 2016 and raw chrysotile was still being used in the construction industry in the 1990s. See the photos below of what we most commonly come across in houses.
Your property has damaged or broken building materials
Most asbestos containing materials are usually not a risk to us when they are in good condition and left alone. However, we can see with our own eyes that some buildings have been damaged, increasing the likelihood of those of us cleaning up the flood damage being exposed to the respirable asbestos fibres. Watch our short video about this.
Not all asbestos containing materials are obvious
Because asbestos containing materials are not just on the outside of buildings - they were often hidden - you may not be aware of all the asbestos in your property, even if you have had surveys or sampling carried out in the past. Check out this video to see what me mean.
Not all asbestos is “OK if you wet it”
You may have heard that asbestos fibres won’t be released into the air if they are wet (and, they will be very wet right now…). But only chrysotile, a.k.a. white asbestos, binds with water. Crocidolite (blue) and amosite (brown) asbestos don’t bind with water. We asbestos professionals use surfactants to suppress these types of fibres. To make things more complicated, a lot of asbestos cement products contain crocidolite and/or amosite alongside chrysotile.
Scroll down to learn what you can do to stay safe.
So what can you do to stay safe?
If you are DIY cleaning up your flood damaged property, or helping others in your community, please keep the following points in mind:
Find out when the building was constructed - then you will know if there is a possibility of asbestos containing materials being present.
Have some awareness of what asbestos containing materials look like - if you are unsure, stop and contact us for guidance. Have a look at the photos above. The list is not exhaustive, but these are common materials we find in houses in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Make sure you get specialist advice - SQN is here to offer our expertise. Call us with your questions and email us photos or videos. We will travel to you as long as it is safe to do so. We will be able to put you in contact with reputable asbestos removal companies so everything is cleared up safely.
Wear personal and respiratory protective equipment. You can pick up Type 5/6 coveralls and boot covers from many hardware stores. Select a respirator with at lease P2 protection (disposable). If you already have a reusable respirator, use it with P2 or preferably P3 filters. We have many videos on our YouTube channel for how to use PPE/RPE, plus you can contact us for advice.
If you are unsure or not comfortable about working around buildings that could contain asbestos, please get in touch. Our team members are based out West, North Shore and the Hibiscus Coast so we can help you.
The last thing you might be worrying about is asbestos, but by following this guidance, you will be minimising the harm to yourself, your whanau and your community. We are here to support you where we can.
SQN is an Asbestos Consultancy with qualified, experienced people waiting to solve your asbestos problems today.