Understanding Asbestos And The Health Risks Of Exposure

Key points

• Asbestos is a hazardous material that was widely used in UK buildings and products before it was banned.
• Asbestos exposure is still possible today, particularly in older buildings.
• People working in construction, maintenance, refurbishment and demolition are among those most at risk both historically and today.
• Inhaling asbestos fibres can, in some people, cause serious, life‑threatening health conditions that often develop many years after exposure.
• There is no known safe level of asbestos exposure – even brief or low‑level exposure can be harmful.
• If you think you may have been exposed to asbestos at work, it’s important to stop work, report it, make records and seek medical advice.
• Support and advice are available if you’re concerned about asbestos exposure, whether it happened recently or in the past.

What is asbestos?

Asbestos is the name of a group of six types of naturally occurring fibrous minerals that were widely used in construction and manufacturing. When damaged or disturbed, it releases microscopic fibres that can become airborne and pose serious risks to health if inhaled.

Why was asbestos widely used?

Asbestos was widely used in products because it has several properties that make it durable and versatile. It:

• Is mechanically strong
• Resists heat, fire, chemical and biological degradation
• Doesn’t dissolve in water or evaporate
• Can be moulded/used in many different forms

What products contained asbestos?

Asbestos was used in various products, including:

• Insulation for buildings, boilers and pipes
• Car brakes
• Floor tiles, including vinyl floor tiles
• Cement for roofing sheets and pipes
• Sprayed coatings on ceilings and walls
• Ceiling tiles
• Textured decorative coatings
• Fire resistant clothing.

Is asbestos still used today?

No, asbestos is no longer used in the UK. It was banned because inhaling asbestos fibres can cause serious long-term health problems. Blue and brown asbestos were banned in the UK in 1985, and white asbestos was banned in 1999.

However, asbestos exposure is still possible because asbestos-containing materials remain in many older buildings and products today.

According to ResPublica’s 2019 report, Don’t Breathe In: Bridging the Asbestos Safety Gap, asbestos remains widespread in the UK. The report estimates that around 6 million tonnes of asbestos are still present, most of which is in over 1.5 million public buildings like hospitals and schools.

This means asbestos exposure still remains a risk today despite the ban many years ago.

How dangerous is asbestos exposure?

Asbestos exposure can be highly dangerous. Inhaling asbestos fibres can cause serious and life-threatening diseases in some people. All types of asbestos are known to cause several serious conditions, which can be fatal and often take years to develop.

According to a report from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Asbestos-related Disease Statistics, Great Britain 2025, around 5,000 deaths per year occur due to asbestos-related diseases. This highlights the lasting impact that past asbestos exposure continues to have in the UK.

What health conditions are linked to asbestos exposure?

Inhaling asbestos fibres can lead to several serious health conditions:

• Mesothelioma: a cancer that develops in the lining of the body’s organs, usually the lungs but it can also be found in the lining of the heart, abdomen or testes
• Lung cancer – many lung cancers are caused by smoking but some are caused by asbestos exposure
• Asbestosis – irreversible scarring of lung tissue, often referred to as a “fibrosis” of the lung)
• Pleural plaques – a minor asbestos related condition that doesn’t usually cause any symptoms.

Asbestosis and asbestos related lung cancer require a higher level of exposure to asbestos dust to develop. However, even brief or low-level asbestos exposure can cause mesothelioma. These conditions develop years after exposure, anywhere between 10 years and 60+ years later.

Who is most at risk of asbestos exposure?

Trades workers are among those most at risk of asbestos exposure, especially those working on older buildings and infrastructure. This risk is reflected in national statistics. According to the HSE, around 20 tradesmen die each week due to past asbestos exposure.

The workers at greatest risk of asbestos exposure are those involved in:

• Demolition work
• Building repair and maintenance
• Building refurbishment or retrofitting
• Installations (for example, of smart meters)
• Asbestos removal and abatement.

These roles involve disturbing building materials, which could disturb any asbestos materials present and release fibres into the air. The risks to health occur when asbestos fibres are inhaled.

Second-hand exposure is possible for household members of exposed workers, as asbestos fibres can be carried home on clothing and in hair and then unknowingly spread around the home

Simply living or working in a building containing asbestos materials isn’t necessarily dangerous, provided the asbestos is sealed, undamaged and undisturbed. The risk occurs when the fibres can escape into the air due to damage or disturbance and then be inhaled.

What to do if exposed to asbestos at work

If you think you might have been exposed to asbestos at work, it’s important to:

• Stop work
• Leave the area
• Report it immediately to your employer
• Ensure the exposure is recorded by your employer
• Follow your employer’s specific asbestos safety procedures
• Ensure the exposure is recorded in your GP medical records

These steps can help reduce the risk of further exposure to you or others.

What is your employer responsible for?

Your employer is responsible for managing the risk of asbestos exposure. Before work begins, they should assess whether the work could disturb asbestos, as well as make sure you understand what to do if you accidentally discover or disturb asbestos materials.

How should asbestos exposure be reported?

Any suspected asbestos exposure should always be reported to the person in charge and handled in line with your employer’s asbestos safety procedures.

The incident may also need to be reported to the HSE under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences (RIDDOR) Regulations.

What details should you record after exposure?

It’s important to keep a record of the exposure, including:

• Where it occurred
• What work was being carried out
• Who else was present
• How the asbestos was identified
• How long the exposure may have lasted
• Whether any personal protective equipment was worn.

Should you see a GP after asbestos exposure?

Yes, you should see your GP and share the information you’ve recorded with them, to ensure a record is kept on your health record.

If you later develop an asbestos disease, it will be helpful to have the details of the exposure already noted in your GP records from the time of the exposure, bearing in mind it will be at least 10 years, and most likely many more, before any condition develops and so details will be more difficult to recall.

Asbestos exposure FAQs

When was asbestos banned in construction?

Asbestos was fully banned, including for use in construction, in the UK in 1999. This ban made the manufacture and supply of all asbestos products illegal.

However, asbestos can still be found in buildings constructed before the ban, which is why exposure remains a risk today.

How much asbestos is dangerous?

There is no known safe level of asbestos exposure, according to the World Health Organization.

The Health and Safety Executive sets legal control limits for work involving asbestos to reduce risk, but these limits don’t represent a ‘safe’ level of exposure.

The greater the exposure to asbestos, the greater the risk to health. For this reason, exposure should always be kept to zero or as low as possible.

When there is a risk of asbestos exposure, proper precautions must be taken and procedures carefully followed, including the use of protective equipment.

Can you wash asbestos out of clothes?

No, asbestos can’t be safely washed out of clothes. Trying to do so can increase the risk of contamination.

Even handling contaminated clothing and loading it into the washing machine can release asbestos fibres into the air and therefore around the home. Fibres may also contaminate other clothes in the same wash and the washing machine itself, leading to further spread.

For this reason, asbestos-contaminated clothing should be treated as hazardous waste.

What diseases are linked to asbestos exposure?

Some people who have been exposed to asbestos dust will go on to develop:

• Mesothelioma
• Asbestos related lung cancer
• Asbestosis
• Asbestos related pleural thickening
• Pleural plaques

These conditions range from causing no symptoms at all (pleural plaques) to being fatal (mesothelioma).

One condition does not develop into another but some people will develop more than one condition.

First symptoms typically include:

• Shortness of breath
• A persistent, dry cough
• Wheezing
• Extreme tiredness
• Chest or shoulder tightness or pain
• Dry, crackling sounds in your lungs when you inhale

It is important to seek early medical advice if you suffer from relevant symptoms and believe you have previously been in contact with asbestos.

The earlier a condition is diagnosed, the more treatment options there will be available.

There is no cure for mesothelioma but there are treatment options to help manage symptoms and life expectancy.

How long after asbestos exposure do symptoms usually occur?

Symptoms of asbestos exposure often occur decades after the first exposure.

It is usually a period of at least 10 years after exposure before first symptoms appear but often it is 40, 50, 60 and more years before the first symptoms become apparent. There is no upper time limit after exposure as to when symptoms will show.

This long delay between exposure and illness is one reason asbestos-related diseases are frequently diagnosed later in life.

Worried about asbestos exposure?

If you’re concerned about asbestos exposure, you don’t have to face it alone. Our specialist asbestos and mesothelioma solicitors are here to listen, answer your questions and help you understand your options.

We offer calm, compassionate advice and can support you from your first conversation through to exploring whether you may be entitled to compensation. We can also help connect you with specialist asbestos support services if you need wider support.

For confidential, no obligation advice, get in touch with our asbestos team today by calling 0330 822 3451 or by completing an enquiry form after which you will receive a callback from the team to discuss your enquiry.