ASBESTOS-NEW DUTY TO MANAGE REGULATIONS

摘要

Regarded as the wonder mineral of the 1950s and 60s, the versatility, strength, heat and chemical resistance of asbestos led to its widespread use in building materials. Although it is now illegal to use asbestos in the construction or refurbishment of any building, previously crocidolite (blue), amosite (brown) and chrysotile (white) asbestos were used extensively in building materials of all types. As a result, asbestos was commonly used to improve the performance of everything from cement, sprayed coatings and laggings, to tiles, decorative textured coatings and insulation boards used in walls, ceilings and roofs. However, what was not known over this extended period of use is that there is no safe exposure level to any types of asbestos. Since then the material has become the greatest single cause of work-related deaths in the UK.