Many older homes and buildings across the UK still contain asbestos.
Asbestos was once common in construction for its strength and fire-resistant properties.
However, we now know that this material poses serious health dangers.
If asbestos fibres are released into the air and breathed in, they can cause deadly diseases years down the line.
Finding out that your home has asbestos can be alarming.
You might wonder ‘can you remove asbestos yourself?’
This might be to make your home safe or to save on professional costs.
Removing asbestos is not like a typical do-it-yourself project, though. It requires extreme caution and special procedures.
In this article, we explain why asbestos should be removed, whether it is safe or legal to remove it yourself, the risks involved, and the proper way to deal with asbestos safely.
Table of Contents
Why Should Asbestos be Removed?
Asbestos needs to be removed because it is a serious danger to health.
When materials containing asbestos are disturbed, they release tiny asbestos fibres into the air.
These fibres are invisible to the naked eye and can be easily inhaled without anyone realising it.
Once inhaled, they remain in the lungs and can cause severe illnesses.
Asbestos exposure is known to lead to life-threatening diseases such as lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis.
Thousands of people in the UK have died as a result of past asbestos exposure, and asbestos-related diseases still kill many people each year. .
Although asbestos was fully banned in the UK in 1999, any building constructed or renovated before the 2000s might contain asbestos in some form.
It was used in insulation, ceiling tiles, roofing sheets, pipe lagging, floor tiles and other common building materials.
Over time, these materials can wear out or get damaged.
Think of old asbestos floor tiles cracking and breaking, this can turn once-solid material into hazardous debris.
If an old asbestos cement roof sheet cracks or insulation boards start crumbling, dangerous fibres could be released into your home environment.
This is exactly how harmful asbestos dust can spread into the air in a house.
Removing asbestos (or sealing it) eliminates the hazard completely from your home.
By taking it out under controlled conditions, you prevent any future risk that those ageing materials might break down and put you or your family in harm’s way.
This is why dealing with asbestos is so important for a safe living environment.
Can You Remove Asbestos Yourself?
The question of whether you can remove asbestos yourself comes down to safety and regulations.
Legally, in the UK there are strict rules governing who can handle and dispose of asbestos.
In almost all cases, work involving asbestos must be carried out by licensed asbestos removal professionals.
What The Law Says
The law (Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012) requires that people working with asbestos have proper training and, for higher-risk materials, a special licence.
These rules exist to protect everyone’s health and make sure asbestos is dealt with safely.
From a practical standpoint, the safest answer is no – you should not remove asbestos yourself.
Asbestos removal is not a simple task you can tackle with normal DIY tools or a trip to the local hardware shop.
It involves specific safety measures that most homeowners are not equipped to carry out.
For example, even minor tasks like removing certain asbestos cement panels or old floor tiles can release fibres if not done perfectly.
Without professional equipment and knowledge, a homeowner could easily expose themselves and others to danger.
It’s understandable that you may want to avoid the cost of hiring professionals, but attempting DIY asbestos removal is simply not worth the risk.
Even if the law did not strictly forbid unlicensed people from handling asbestos (and it generally does), the health stakes are extremely high.
Remember that you can’t see or smell asbestos fibres, so you won’t know if you’ve released them.
By the time you realise something has gone wrong, you or your family might have already breathed in harmful dust.
The recommended course of action is always to get qualified experts, like us here at KD Asbestos, to assess and handle any asbestos found in your home.
What are the Risks of Removing Asbestos Yourself?
Attempting to remove asbestos on your own is extremely dangerous for several reasons.
A pile of broken asbestos material, such as old floor tiles or siding, is extremely hazardous.
Removing asbestos yourself often leads to such breakage, which releases clouds of microscopic fibres that cause asbestos to become airborne.
These fibres can easily spread through the air and settle on surfaces.
Once asbestos dust is released in your home, it is very difficult to clean up completely without specialist equipment.
Health
One major risk is to your personal health.
People who improperly remove asbestos may inhale a large number of fibres during the work.
You won’t notice anything at the time as asbestos dust has no smell or immediate effects, but years later it can result in deadly illness.
Diseases like mesothelioma or lung cancer can develop after even relatively short-term high exposure.
Contamination
There is also the risk of contaminating your home and putting others in danger.
If you disturb asbestos without a controlled safety setup, the fibres can disperse and linger in the environment.
They might land on your clothes, in your hair, or on furniture and carpets.
For instance, using a normal vacuum cleaner or sweeping will not safely pick up asbestos dust – in fact, it can blow the hazardous fibres back into the air.
This means you could carry the fibres to other areas of the house, or even expose family members when you go near them with contaminated clothing.
Professional asbestos removers use specialised vacuums with HEPA filters and strict decontamination procedures to avoid this, but a typical homeowner would not have that gear.
Legal Issues
Another significant risk of DIY removal is breaking the law and facing financial penalties.
Asbestos is classified as hazardous waste.
In the UK you cannot just put asbestos debris in your wheelie bin or take it to the dump without special arrangements.
It must be disposed of at authorised facilities.
If someone attempts to remove and dump asbestos illegally, they could be fined heavily.
There have been cases of unlicensed individuals facing prosecution for improper asbestos handling.
How Should Asbestos Be Removed Instead?
The safest way to deal with asbestos is to leave it to the experts.
If you discover or suspect asbestos in your home, you should contact a professional asbestos removal company or a licensed contractor.
These professionals have the required training and certification to handle asbestos.
They understand how to remove it without putting anyone at risk.
Hiring professionals might seem costly, but it is absolutely worth it for the peace of mind and safety it provides.
Professional asbestos removal teams follow strict safety procedures from start to finish.
Assessment
They will typically start by assessing the material to confirm it is asbestos and determine the best removal method.
On the day of removal, the area will be sealed off or isolated so fibres cannot escape to the rest of the house.
Safety First
The removal crew wear full protective PPE gear, disposable coveralls, gloves, and proper respiratory masks, to shield themselves.
They use specialised techniques and tools to minimise dust.
Rather than smashing or breaking the asbestos into pieces, they carefully remove whole sections intact whenever possible.
The asbestos waste is then immediately double-bagged or wrapped in heavy-duty plastic sheets and clearly labelled as hazardous waste.
After the asbestos is removed, professionals will clean the area thoroughly.
They use H-class (high efficiency) vacuums and other equipment designed to pick up the tiny fibres.
Some companies will also carry out air monitoring or clearance testing to ensure the space is safe to reoccupy.
Finally, all asbestos material is transported and disposed of at authorised hazardous waste facilities in compliance with the law.
By following these steps, the specialists make sure that your home is free from asbestos danger.
You are left with a safe environment and the confidence that the problem has been dealt with properly.
Conclusion
You should now have more of an understanding about removing asbestos yourself.
As we have seen, asbestos is not a material you should ever try to remove by yourself.
The combination of severe health risks and strict legal requirements makes DIY removal a bad idea.
If you suspect asbestos in your property, the best course of action is to get it properly assessed and, if necessary, removed by licensed professionals.
This way, you protect your health, stay within the law, and ensure that the asbestos hazard is fully dealt with.
For more information, or help with any and all of your asbestos needs, get in contact with us here at KD Asbestos.