Key Points

Fire

• Non flammable and non combustible under normal conditions
• Chemically inert under normal conditions. Resistant to most solvents, acids and alkalis
• In the event of a fire involving asbestos, use fine water spray and liquid-tight protective clothing with breathing apparatus

Health

• The most common route of exposure is by inhalation
• Toxic and carcinogenic
• In general asbestos is not considered to be acutely toxic
• Short-term  high level exposure may cause pleural disorders, mesothelioma or lung cancer after a long latency period
• Long-term low level inhalation exposure may cause pleural disorders, mesothelioma or lung cancer; long-term high dose exposure may cause asbestosis
• Asbestos is a category 1 carcinogen i.e. is carcinogenic to humans
• Asbestos has not been linked with any adverse reproductive outcomes in humans

Environment

• Environmentally hazardous substance
• Inform Environment Agency of substantial release incidents

 

All sections are available to download in PDF format below:

• Asbestos - Full Document (PDF, 161 KB)
• General Information (PDF, 63 KB)
• Incident Management (PDF, 66 KB)
• Toxicological Overview (PDF, 65 KB)