Asbestos Bitumen Roofing Felt

As long as the asbestos remained sealed beneath the asphalt the roof felt was not dangerous for those who worked lived or played inside the buildings.

Asbestos bitumen roofing felt.

The primary applications for asbestos felt included. Construction workers used asbestos felt as an underlayment for shingles and it was also sometimes the main material used in built up roofs. Roofing tar and asphalt liquids. Asbestos roofing felt being cut.

Shingles weren t the only roof product containing asbestos materials. But the workers who installed the felt were very likely exposed to the dangerous asbestos fibers. Bituminous waterproofing systems are designed to protect residential and commercial buildings bitumen asphalt or coal tar pitch is a mixed substance made up of organic liquids that are highly sticky viscous and waterproof. I had a look at the old felt we had removed and it s a black tar type felt with what looks like stands of hessian in a criss cross pattern and some sort of paper on the back.

In fact most other roofing products produced in the early to mid twentieth century contained asbestos. Roofing felt and underlayment. It was a universal solution to roof concerns. Asbestos felt was often laid under linoleum vinyl and asphalt floor tiles for padding and insulation.

Work on any type of asbestos can be dangerous. The felt was made up of sheets of asbestos material that was then covered with asphalt. How dangerous is this. Information about health and safety at work.

Hi did any old bitumen roofing felts used in residential pitched roofs contain asbestos. Also referred to as asbestos roof mat it is a component that is impregnated in asphalt that was used as an insulating and waterproofing material between roof boards and shingles johns manville no date. Asbestos can also be found in spray coatings lagging and insulation boards cement panels floor tiles and bitumen felt mastics sealants putties and adhesives textured coatings and paints yarns etc. Asbestos fibers found their way into these roofing products.

As a rule intact felt is considered pretty safe as the asbestos is firmly embedded in bitumen so the dust issue does not arise unless the edges are badly weathered even then the quantity to be released is pretty small more dangerous if burnt though. Work on roofing felt would not normally be notifiable provided that the material is in good condition. These roof mats were widely used in built up roofs in the us epa 1990c. Old exterior roofing felt on flat roofs or sheds is also a possibility.