Leeds Beckett University Asbestos From Magic Mineral to Hidden Killer Tim Briggs MA CFIOSH Course Leader MSc OSH BSc SHEM Leeds Beckett Immediate Past.

Leeds Beckett University

Asbestos From Magic Mineral to Hidden Killer

Tim Briggs MA CFIOSH

Course Leader MSc OSH BSc SHEM Leeds Beckett

Immediate Past President IOSH

A Very Emotive word

Asbestos is a very emotive word

Undisturbed and undamaged it will not hurt anyone

Some Asbestos Facts

Asbestos was once used in more than 3,000 consumer products, including common household items such as toasters and hair dryers, some of which may still be in use.

Asbestos is still mined in several countries throughout the world, including Canada, and is exported to many industrialised and developing countries. 2 million metric tons still mined1 (USGS 2009)

About 125 million people around the world are exposed to asbestos in their work environments and 107000 deaths2 (WHO 2014)

What The Ancients Did for UsAsbestosFire and asbestos have an intriguing history with each other.

EgyptiansEmbalmed bodies

RomansTowels NetsHead CoveringsTable cloths

Medieval Armour Insulation

It possesses amazing characteristics. Uniquely among minerals, it can be spun into a thread and then woven into a cloth.

Source 3

How long have we known?

• By the first century AD, Greeks and Romans had already observed, at least in passing, that slaves involved in the weaving of asbestos cloth were afflicted with a sickness of the lungs.

• First report in the UK that Asbestos was a deadly killer 18984 Lucy Deane Factory Inspector

• 1906 Dr Montague Murray records first illness caused by Asbestos5

• In 1995, Julian Peto et al predicted that male deaths from mesothelioma in Britain will peak at between 2700 and 3300 per year around the year 20206

Types of Asbestos

Asbestos is a trade name and refers to six unique substances that belong to the serpentine and amphibole mineral families.

Chrysotile

Amosite

CrocidoliteAnthophyllite ActinoliteTremolite

Not used commercially but is a “Contaminant”

Uses for Asbestos

As the twentieth century progressed, more and more uses for asbestos were found. It was used in the brakes and clutches of automobiles, insulated new skyscrapers, and especially found much popularity in the construction industry, where it was used in items like cement, roof shingles, floor and ceiling tiles, siding, stucco, plaster, and much more.

Tradesmen Affected

Basically YOU if you are a DIY fanatic

Emergency Management

• 2 elementsProtecting People

Protecting AreaPreventing Access

Source HSE http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/guidance/em1.pdf

Overseas Responsibilities

• Asbestos banned in 55 countries• Employees involved in natural disaster relief

through Earthquakes Storms Collapse of Buildings and Fire

Between 2001 and 2012, Europe used 7.8 million metric tonnes of asbestos7.

Resources Used

• http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs343/en/

• http://www.ilo.org/safework/areasofwork/occupational-health/WCMS_108554/lang--en/index.htm

• http://www.hse.gov.uk/Asbestos/essentials/