To be worried about asbestos from the garage my neighbour just knocked down?

[MBM44]

My neighbour had a bloke in today to remove an old garage. During the work this morning I was in and out of the garden. This afternoon neighbour casually mentions in passing that the garage had an asbestos roof and so needed to go. I was a bit taken aback by that.The more I think about it tho, the more pissed off I am that
a. I wasn't warned so that I could have stayed inside/shut windows and b. that it's clearly not a professional asbestos removal bloke that's done the job, it's his handyman mate. I don't know enough about asbestos to know how much of an issue this is and whether there is anything I should do, bearing in mind the job is done (tho the garden is full of the remnants!!) Could anyone advise??

From Google...

Short-Term Exposure Fast Facts

Light, short-term exposure rarely causes disease

A one-off exposure from do-it-yourself renovation is not a major risk

Asbestos exposure is cumulative, so short-term exposures can add up

Disasters may cause extreme asbestos-exposure events

If you don't know enough about asbestos why have you not deployed Google or another search engine to find out if there's any danger?

Wouldn't a reputable scientific source be a tad more useful?

@WorraLiberty

From Google...

Short-Term Exposure Fast Facts

Light, short-term exposure rarely causes disease

A one-off exposure from do-it-yourself renovation is not a major risk

Asbestos exposure is cumulative, so short-term exposures can add up

Disasters may cause extreme asbestos-exposure events

Just as I was typing a kind person whose internet does have Google has taken the trou ble to type out the question and post the answer for you.

I thought asbestos removal.was supposed to be done by a professional rather than diy

Urgh, so crap of your neighbour.
We had similar a few years ago; a bloke rocked up with a sledge hammer to demolish neighbour's shed. DP, ex-roofer, could see there was asbestos in the roof, so after a polite request to desist and consult neighbour over the phone, turned into a slanging match across the fence, DP skipped said fence and saw bloke off. Neighbour, with whom we're generally on good terms, was very apologetic and denied all knowledge of asbestos. Shed still intact.

dementedpixie Yep, it is!

Depending on the nature of the structure, it's not always necessary to have specialist contractors. If the asbestos is bonded to something or in a rigid structure that can be removed intact, then the risk is negligible. It's when it's disturbed and the dust flies around that it's a worry.

OP - I would be furious if I were you. Who knows how much exposure you need truly.
Difficult situation as it's your neighbour but the handyman I think has broken the law.

Asbestos is dangerous and needs to be disposed of very carefully. He sounds really dodgy.

Those old.garages usually have panels of corrogated asbestos panels as roofs..now he should have got a professional removal company to do it safely. But as long as he didn't smash the panels and 'release' the fibres then there would be very little risk to you if you were in and out and it was outside.

If he was smashing it up with a sledge hammer then it might be a different story

I'd give the planning department at your council a call and ask for advice. I'd also ask the neighbour how the asbestos roof has been disposed of. I don't think it can be taken to any old tip, and if the person who removed it hasn't complied with the regulations, your neighbour would be liable.

I thought asbestos removal.was supposed to be done by a professional rather than diy

It depends on the type of asbestos. Roofing sheets are low risk. The risk increases if the sheets are broken up.

Was it the asbestos roofing sheets? If so it is legal to remove these and then normally you wrap them in plastic sheeting and take to the council tip for proper disposal.

Oh ok, think the roof was sheets and on reflection don't think he bashed them, it was the concrete wall he was bashing.

@dementedpixie

I thought asbestos removal.was supposed to be done by a professional rather than diy

It certainly has to be disposed of by specialist waste carriers. And it's not cheap, it added around £500 to the cost of having my guttering and downpipes replaced (downpipes were asbestos, not sure about the guttering).

Our builder removed the asbestos sheets off the roof intact when we were having the garage replaced. I had to arrange a specialist contractor to collect and dispose of them safely. I doubt you were in any danger

Dust and fibres are the cause of asbestosis, normally over a period of time working in environments were asbestos dust is created, generally solid sheets of asbestos are fine and very unlikely to cause any health issue, as this was outside in the open air and as long as they were dismantled correctly and there was no drilling into them or undue breaking up then the chance of any contamination or risk to you are very small

Bonded asbestos cement sheets were commonly used for garages, and removal of these sheets from small buildings does not need to be done by licensed contractors.

Some household waste sites will accept these sheets provided they have been suitably double wrapped and taped.

If you’ve paid contractors to remove asbestos cement products then yes you’ll pay commercial rates for disposal.

We and our neighbours both had asbestos roof garages. We looked into disposal and, as has been said, it doesn’t have to be done by professionals. It does have to be wrapped, sealed and labelled as asbestos and then properly disposed of. Ours was collected free of charge by the council. They offer free collection to ensure people don’t just fly tip it.

Our council asks for asbestos roofing to be broken up, wrapped and bundled kerbside to be collected... so I’d have presumed whatever they are doing is within council expectations

Ok breath....as others have said it’ll be encapsulated sheets. Far less dangerous than other types of asbestos. Doesn’t have to be removed or disposed of by a licensed contractor unless the quantity is such that the local tip won’t take it bagged and sealed. If you want to know even more about asbestos then the HSE is where to look for information. Maybe some Mother’s Day light reading?

www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/essentials/index.htm

It will be fine. And I say that as someone who has quite a bit of anxiety over asbestos. It’s literally everywhere and will be in most pre 90s houses somewhere. Considering how many people do diy and smash things about without having a clue a few small exposures can’t be that dangerous. It’s prolonged exposure usually that causes illness. You can dismantle concrete asbestos and take them to some tips. I did read on a building forum that even the dust from concrete asbestos wouldn’t be any more dangerous than dust from sandstone, no idea if that’s true.

Our council asks for asbestos roofing to be broken up, wrapped and bundled kerbside to be collected... so I’d have presumed whatever they are doing is within council expectations

If you break up bonded asbestos sheeting, aren’t you then releasing the fibres into the atmosphere??

I would report the neighbour to the council. But then I have no truck with people who dont think of others

No advice I'm afraid, but I read the title as 'garage my neighbour just kicked down' which would have been even worse I suppose.