Asbestos fiber cement was one of the most popular building materials during the 20th century due to its abundance in nature and its low cost. This substance, also called uralite, by the name by which this mineral is known in Spain and adopted by the manufacturing company, spreads over a multitude of roofs, gutters and downspouts in our country. However, the degradation and handling of fiber cement carries risks associated with diseases such as silicosis, which has made this material fall into disuse and certain rules and restrictions have been imposed when it comes to its removal.
The distribution of uralite was prohibited in 2002 and since 2006, a Royal Decree has been in force that establishes the minimum safety provisions applicable to workers exposed to this substance. This standard contemplates the individual protection equipment (PPE) necessary for the removal of asbestos from a construction, such as masks, gloves, glasses, overalls or fall prevention systems for carrying out work at height. Removing asbestos from a farm is a fairly long and expensive process, for which you must take into account the following aspects.
The fact of maintaining a construction with asbestos is not dangerous per se, although it is true that the life cycle of this material is about 50 years. What is really dangerous is the fact that the roof of your tool room or your ship presents bankruptcies or erosions. The breakdown of fiber cement releases microscopic particles that contain silica, iron or other minerals that do not degrade over time. These fibers act like blades that can embed themselves in the airways or lungs of a person who handles asbestos or is exposed to a deteriorating asbestos-cement building, even just once.
The aforementioned Royal Decree establishes how the asbestos removal process must be carried out, which will be the same regardless of the magnitude of the project. There are specialized companies that you can contact, which are responsible for overlapping the removal of fiber cement structures with the assembly of the corresponding covers or pipes, as the case may be, so that the buildings are not left unprotected. The guidelines for carrying out these works are the following:
The cost of these works will depend largely on the surface to be dismantled, the state of the construction and the number of personnel required.
