Are you concerned about Grenfell Tower Asbestos Dangers?

Earlier in the year it was confirmed by health officials that all the flats in Grenfell Tower contained a considerable amount of asbestos.  Do you live near to the site? Are you concerned about how Grenfell Tower asbestos may affect you?

Specifically all flats were constructed with airing cupboards that were panelled with asbestos board. Many, if not all, had artex ceilings. Artex was a highly popular finish at the time the block of flats was built (1974) and contains asbestos.  There seems to be little information available as to how many of the 120 flats had been refurbished to eliminate asbestos.

The tower block caught fire on the 14 June 2017 and was completely destroyed. It is more than likely that potentially lethal asbestos fibres could have settled on hundreds of properties in the area carried by smoke and ash in the air.

Asbestos dangers with airborne fibres are very real

PHE (Public Health England) acknowledge that the smoke could have dispersed what they refer to as “small amounts of asbestos fibres”. What we find somewhat astonishing is that they have compared the general danger of toxicity in smoke with that containing asbestos, as posing an "additional minimal health risk"!

It is true that long term exposure puts people in greater danger of developing asbestos related diseases. However, just one fibre adhering to your lungs is also potentially dangerous. If you are having difficulty breathing, consult your doctor.

Irrespective of the varying reports that have come out since the disaster, you have nothing to lose by testing your home for asbestos.  If any of your windows were open at the time you can self-test with our asbestos testing kit to put your mind at rest.

Test for asbestos before embarking on DIY

If your home was built before the year 2000 the possibility of it containing asbestos is high. A testing kit for asbestos can be despatched within 24 hours. It contains everything you need to safely collect samples.  You then send the samples back to our laboratory and will receive the test results within 24/48 hours of receipt.

Asbestos in the home is safe until it is disturbed or damaged.  Simply drilling a hole in a wall, removing lagging from a water tank or replacing insulation boards can release the lethal fibres into the air.  It really isn’t worth taking the risk with your health and that of your family.

Raise your asbestos awareness

If you believe your home may have been affected by the Grenfell Tower fall out contact us. For more information about asbestos testing kits, asbestos removal or asbestos dangers call our friendly team who will be happy to answer any questions you may have.