I live in the UK and I am installing some shelves in the cupboard under the stairs and I'm wondering if the material I'm drilling into is dangerous. It is the Party Wall between two houses.
Drilling holes to install shelves and came across this material. Is it Asbestos
asbestos
Related Solutions
It is difficult to say
If you are concerned about asbestos you need to go to your local council and tell them you are concerned about your walls being filled with asbestos. They can check records if any occurances of asbestos builds exist in your area. even if nothing shows up it will be worth doing an independent test if you are still worried.
There are asbestos tester kits available also for DIY- but be advised to wear asbestos protective masks and clothing- if it turns out positive you will need to deal with it asap.
If they find asbestos.. well you need to tell the council and there should be grants available to remove it.
Be careful and wear certified masks and gloves at all times during testing and never reuse any of the kit- dispose at once into bag- into separate container. IF tests reveal negative your stuff can be dumped into normal channels.. IF positive you need your council to collect it and incinerate all exposed items.
No. That looks like polyisocyanurate:
Asbestos looks like any of these, depending on which form was used in what kind of location:
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Best Answer
It's possible there is some asbestos in that skim coat over the wall. It's impossible to say but it would be totally unnecessary to have this material tested before hanging shelves.
Asbestos is dangerous when you inhale airborne particles. It's a real hazard in the workplace, where people may inhale asbestos particles for months or years or decades without the proper precautions.
The exposure you have when drilling a few holes to install shelves is very small by comparison. Wear a dust mask when drilling and cleaning up. By all means, refrain from arranging it into lines on a mirror and snorting it.
Keep in mind that the silica dust that you make when drilling masonry - any masonry - can also be harmful. Again the risk with such a limited exposure is small, so it's nothing to get nervous about, but you'll want to take the same precautions against breathing the dust even if there's no asbestos present.