A guide to recognising asbestos in your home, with attention to the risks and what you are allowed to do yourself.
Asbestos is not uncommon in Flemish homes built before 2001. It is often found in places you wouldn't immediately think of. A corrugated roof, an old chimney, a vinyl floor in the utility room. If you are renovating or buying a house, it is wise to first know where asbestos might be.
The list below is not exhaustive, but it is a good starting point. The most common locations are:
These are the classics, but asbestos is also found in window sills, door panels, insulation behind radiators, and even in some ceiling tiles. It can therefore turn up in any part of a home built before the nineties.
The distinction is important because it determines what you are allowed to do yourself and how great the risk is. Non-friable asbestos, such as corrugated sheets and slates, has a firm cement matrix. The fibres are bound and are only released when you saw, drill, or break it. Friable asbestos is much more fragile. Think of pipe insulation or the black adhesive under a vinyl floor. These can release fibres even with a light touch.
Friable asbestos is therefore more dangerous and should never be removed by yourself. Non-friable asbestos may be tackled yourself under certain conditions, but there is more to it than you might think. Proper asbestos removal requires knowledge of the regulations and the right techniques.
Visually recognising asbestos is not an exact science. That white layer around your pipes may look like plaster, but it is not. And a vinyl tile can look innocent while the backing still contains asbestos. Even experienced professionals are not always able to say with certainty whether a material contains asbestos. The only reliable way is a sample analysis by an accredited laboratory. They analyse the material under a microscope and provide a definitive answer.
As long as you do not know whether asbestos is present, it is best to leave the material alone. Do not scratch, sand, or break it. This keeps the risk minimal.
For non-friable asbestos up to 35 m², you may as a private individual do it yourself, provided the material is undamaged and screwed (not glued or nailed). You must also submit a demolition notification via the Omgevingsloket. That sounds simple, but in practice there is a lot involved. You must keep the asbestos wet, pack it airtight in foil of at least 100 microns, and dispose of it correctly. At the recycling centre, you may bring in 200 kg per year free of charge, but you are not allowed to transport friable asbestos yourself.
Damaged material, friable asbestos, or glued floor coverings? You must not start on those. They must be removed by an accredited removal company. This is not out of paternalism, but because the risk of fibre release is then too great. A single exposure can already be harmful.
At Credim, we work with the three statutory techniques: the hermetic zone, the glove bag, and the simple handling. Which one we use depends on the material and its condition. Indoor pipe insulation, for example, we always remove in a hermetic zone. We seal the room airtight and put it under negative pressure. We do the same for damaged or friable asbestos. That negative pressure is there to stop dust from reaching the rest of your home.
Need an asbestos certificate? For that, you must go to a certified asbestos expert. Credim is an accredited removal company and does not issue certificates itself. We welcome the certificate drawn up by the expert and remove the asbestos indicated on it. Want to know more about how to recognise pipe insulation or about recognising black adhesive? Then read those pages. Or contact us for a no-obligation discussion about your situation.
An accredited expert will come by, assess the situation and give you a clear, no-obligation proposal.
