Asbestos in the building: how to know and what NOT to do

If your building was constructed before 2002, there is a fair chance it contains asbestos somewhere. That is not cause for alarm, but it is cause for knowing how to handle it.

Where it usually is

In fibre cement, a common material for decades: downpipes and gutters, water tanks on the roof, corrugated sheets on roofs and outbuildings, ventilation ducts and, sometimes, in the insulation of old boilers.

The golden rule

Asbestos in good condition and left alone does not release fibres. The danger appears when it is broken, cut, sanded or drilled, because that releases fibres into the air.

Hence the gravest and most frequent mistake: the neighbour or workman who cuts through an old downpipe with an angle grinder "to sort it quickly". That turns an inert material into a health problem for the whole building.

What the law requires

Its use has been banned in Spain since 2002. Removal is not compulsory in every case — it depends on its condition and on the rules applicable in your region, some of which have set removal deadlines — but when it is removed, only a firm registered in the RERA may do it, with a work plan approved by the labour authority and disposal of the waste as hazardous.

None of those obligations can be skipped by hiring the usual builder, however good their work.

What the community should do

1. Know whether there is any and where. If the building is old, make sure it is in the documentation. A recent building survey usually mentions it.
2. Do not touch it and tell residents: no breaking, cutting or drilling into those elements.
3. Monitor its condition. Fibre cement that is degrading or breaking up does require action.
4. If works will affect it, budget for an authorised firm from the outset. It frequently appears as a surprise extra cost in roof refurbishments, and it should not surprise anyone.