What is Asbestos & Asbestos Encapsulation?
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals, which all have in common their eponymous asbestiform habit. For instance, their long, thin fibrous crystals, with each visible fibre. They are composed of millions of microscopic “fibrils” that can be released by abrasion and other processes. Asbestos encapsulation means coating these fibres to ensure none are released into the air.
A staggering 5000 deaths each year are linked to asbestos. In homes built before 2000, it is still common to find.
Why is asbestos dangerous?
If asbestos-containing materials are disturbed or damaged, asbestos fibres are released into the air. This can cause severe diseases if inhaled. That said, these diseases will not affect you immediately; they often take a long time to develop. However, once diagnosed, it is often too late to do anything. This is why you must protect yourself now.
This information was taken from http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/index.htm (Health & Safety Executive).
Asbestos encapsulation
On the other hand, the good news is that asbestos roofs can be encapsulated using a suitable coating system. This saves the problem of having to get specialists in to clean or remove the existing asbestos.
Elasto-Kote is an ideal solution for this type of roof as it is used to encapsulate asbestos, and waterproof it at the same time.