What is the asbestos risk to Nottingham tenants?

Posted on July 7, 2010 with 1 Comment

ASBESTOS was commonly used in house construction from the 1920s until 1970s when most of the Nottingham’s council estates were built. So the discovery that hundreds of council homes in the city contain the potentially lethal material is no surprise. However, the fact that 13 per cent of Asbestos surveyed properties – roughly 2,200 homes so far – have “high risk” material in them will worry tenants.

Jennifer Deakin, 60, of Brindley Road, Bilborough, where she has lived more than 30 years, has been told that amosite – a form of brown asbestos – is present in the living areas of her home.

Jennifer Deakin said “It is enough to put the fear of God into you,” she said. “But it is hard to understand exactly what it means. They told me not to screw into the walls. “It makes you worried. Illness from asbestos takes years to come out, how can you know?”

Kay Nicholson, 46, was concerned, because her home has not had a thorough check. “The only survey for asbestos was when they drilled outside and in the coat cupboard,” she said. “There was no report.”

The question is, how concerned should tenants be?

Nottingham City Homes is keen to reassure residents as it spends £8.7 million to remove asbestos from its homes or make them safe. A spokesman stated: “They will not be at risk if the material is in good condition.” Asbestos is made up of tiny fibres.

When it is cut or drilled these are released and if breathed in, can be harmful. The fibre can lodge in the lungs and lead to fatal diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer. But the risk is linked to the amount of asbestos dust a person is exposed to and how often they come into contact with it. That is why NCH stresses there is not a risk if the material is undisturbed.

Asbestos was used in house construction for its good insulation properties. So far two-thirds of the council’s 29,000 properties have been assessed for asbestos. Sometimes, it is in places where a householder is unlikely to disturb it, such as behind sinks or baths. But occasionally, it is living areas.

There are three main types: amosite (brown asbestos); chrysotile (white asbestos); and crocidolite (blue asbestos). The each carry a different risk. In the UK amosite was more widely used and NCH considers this to be the riskiest material.

“The presence of low, medium or high-risk materials is calculated on the material type, position in the property and the condition of the actual material,” said the NCH spokesman.

NCH has advised tenants to avoid DIY if they suspect asbestos is present, and they should call an asbestos hot line if walls are damaged. The NCH spokesman any damaged asbestos found in the survey will have been dealt with quickly. “If the material is in good condition there is very low risk to the tenant irrespective of it being a low medium or high-risk material,” said the spokesman

The Government has advised local authorities to remove asbestos from council homes, or make it safe. However, it does not accept there is a “major risk” of fatal diseases from the material.

The Health and Safety Executive study last year found that people were most likely to suffer mesothelioma as a result of working in a high-risk occupation, such as carpentry, or living with someone who worked with asbestos.

It did not find a link with living in a house with asbestos but only 38 people were included in the analysis.

Jonathan Shaw told the House of Commons last year, when he was minister of state for regional affairs, that exposures in the home “do not represent major sources of mesothelioma risk”.

A study by Cancer Research UK also found no link between mesothelioma and the type of house, although the number of cases was again small.

Conservative city councillor Georgina Culley is concerned that action is only being taken now. “We have known about the risks associated with asbestos for a long time. Why have we not taken action as a local authority until now?” she said.

She added: “There are thousands of council houses that have been sold off. We also have to consider what advice will be given to people who have purchased their properties.”

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