Page 36 - The City and Guilds Textbook: Plumbing Book 1 for the Level 3 Apprenticeship (9189), Level 2 Technical Certificate (8202) and Level 2 Diploma (6035)

The City & Guilds Textbook: Plumbing Book 1

When working with solvents, follow these basic instructions:

● avoid contact with the skin
● avoid contact with the eyes
KEY TERM ● use only in an open, well-ventilated space
● keep away from naked flames as solvents are flammable
Asbestos: a fibrous silicate
material highly resistant to ● store in a well-ventilated, secure area.
heat.
Identifying the types of asbestos

Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous material that can cause major illnesses.
It has been used as a building material since the end of the 1940s and, because
asbestos is often mixed with other materials such as cement, it is hard to know
if you’re working with it or not. The problem is that if you work in a building
built before the year 2000, it is likely that asbestos has been used during its
construction in one form or another.

There are three main types of asbestos:
1 Chrysotile (white asbestos): a white curly fibre, chrysotile accounts for 90
per cent of asbestos in products and is a member of the serpentine group. It
is a magnesium silicate.
2 Amosite (brown or grey asbestos): straight amosite fibres belong in the
amphibole group, and contain iron and magnesium.
3 Crocidolite (blue asbestos): a member of the amphibole group, crocidolite
takes the form of blue, straight fibres. It is a sodium iron magnesium silicate.
Other forms of asbestos include:

● anthophyllite
● tremolite
● actinolite.

Materials that may contain asbestos
Asbestos is one of the most dangerous materials that you will come across
during your work as a plumber. Many people die each year from asbestos-
related diseases.

In the past, it was used extensively for the following plumbing-specific applications:

● flue pipes
● gutters and rainwater pipes
● soil and vent pipes
● pipe insulation (both sprayed on and applied as a paste and wrapped in linen)
● boiler gaskets and fireproof ropes
● cold water cisterns.

It may also be found in:
● Artex
● roof and ceiling tiles
● soffit boards
● plaster coatings
p Figure 1.11 Domestic uses of
asbestos ● floor tiles and coverings
● asbestos sheeting and corrugated roofing.
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