millboards

Are you renovating your property and have found grayish cardboard under PVC floor coverings, behind radiators or around electrical installations? Then it could be the dangerous asbestos cardboard. Although asbestos has been banned as a building material for decades, materials containing asbestos are still often found, especially in older buildings. Asbestos board is difficult to detect and often hidden under other building materials. During renovation work, dangerous asbestos fibers can escape and be inhaled unnoticed. This can result in serious damage to health.

At best, owners should have an asbestos analysis done before any renovation work begins. But even if suspicious material is only discovered by chance during the work, you should have it tested by CRB. A small sample sent by mail to the CRB laboratory is sufficient and you will receive the court-proof result in just a few days.

Frequently asked questions about asbestos containing millboard

What is asbestos board?

Paperboards with a high asbestos content were produced as insulation material from the 1960s onwards. At that time, they were often referred to simply as insulating boards. The asbestos content in these boards can be as high as 80 percent. They are classified as weakly bonded asbestos products and can release the hazardous asbestos fibers if not handled properly. If suspect material is discovered, it should not simply be torn out, but should first be subjected to an asbestos analysis.

Where was asbestos board used?

Asbestos is weather, heat and fire resistant, which is why it was often used as insulation material. Asbestos board was often used for insulation under cushion vinyl flooring as well as under PVC flooring. Asbestos board was used as heat protection behind old radiators and night storage heaters, and can even be found as heat-resistant cladding in kitchenettes and on old sockets, fuse boxes and other electrical installations. Such asbestos-containing components can also be found in old electrical appliances such as hair dryers, ovens, stoves.

How dangerous is asbestos board?

The asbestos content in asbestos board can be up to 80 percent. As long as the cardboard is undamaged and/or is installed under other materials, it poses no immediate danger. However, since the carcinogenic substance is weakly bound in the material, even the slightest damage or signs of wear are enough to release the hazardous fibers. These are often inhaled unnoticed. The result is dangerous diseases such as asbestosis and other diseases of the pulmonary system, which are often only detected after years.

How much does asbestos abatement cost?

The cost depends on the amount of hazardous building material to be removed and its accessibility. Renovation work, e.g. on asbestos cement on the roof or on the facade of a house, including scaffolding, is accordingly more expensive than renovation in one room. Per square meter, clients must reckon with 30 to 45 euros, plus additional expenses for tools, scaffolding, containers and final disposal in a hazardous waste landfill. Since asbestos board, unlike roofing felt, was mostly installed only indoors and only in certain places in the two-digit square meter range, the costs should therefore remain in the four-digit range.

How must asbestos board be disposed of?

Usually, the sanitation company takes care of the disposal of the asbestos-containing building materials. This is because weakly bonded asbestos products are considered hazardous waste. If you have a material that is suspected to be asbestos-containing products, you should do an asbestos analysis. This is because even the transport of weakly bound asbestos products is subject to special guidelines and, depending on the level of asbestos content, may even need to be registered with the authorities. Since recycling centers often test materials suspected of containing asbestos themselves, you should not simply take your renovation waste there untested. This could result in unpleasant legal consequences. Most recycling centers only accept solidly bound asbestos products with a low asbestos content.

Identification of asbestos inmillboards by means of SEM images and energy-dispersive element-spectra