Asbestos Sampling
Any building constructed before the year 2000 could contain asbestos. When asbestos is disturbed the fibres can be inhaled into the lungs and can cause asbestosis, lung cancer and a particularly aggressive cancer called Mesothelioma. These diseases cause up to 4,000 deaths a year in the UK alone, and is the greatest cause of work-related deaths in the UK.
Asbestos can be found in:
- asbestos cement products, such as roof tiles and panelling
- textured coatings
- floor tiles, textiles (e.g. old fire blankets) and composites
- sprayed coatings on ceilings, walls and beams/columns
- asbestos insulating board
- lagging around boilers and pipework
- loose asbestos in ceiling or floor cavity
Static sampling is necessary when going through the asbestos removing process and when accessing a site for reoccupation. In this situation the Asbestos sampling heads are used with the Flite 3 sample pump, fitted with the sampling mast (as shown).
The sampling heads use 25 mm gridded filters.
SKC can also supply an Acetone Vapouriser, which is used to clear the filter (render the filter transparent) to enable the fibres to be more easily seen for analysis.
