Barry Nakahara, the Senior Manager in Prevention Field Services, says asbestos was used in many common building materials right up until around 1990…
“Flooring, vinyl floor tiles, and linoleum flooring, stucco, loose-blown insulation such as the vermiculite insulation, roof felt shingles, drywall mud are some of the common building materials, particularly that show up in residential buildings.”
Nakahara says there isn’t really any risk to exposure unless the building materials are disturbed.
He says it is important if people are planning to renovate or demolish a home that was built prior to 1990 that they make plans with their contractors to properly remove it.
Nakahara says exposure to asbestos is the number one killer of workers in British Columbia…
“We need to continue to get that message out to homeowners, contractors and the members of the public about the health risks of exposures. The most significant exposures typically occur with workers who have to work with materials, building materials that contain asbestos, so they are more likely at risk of the disease.”
Asbestos was a contributing factor in 47 work-related deaths in BC in 2018, which amounts to roughly 36 percent of all work-related deaths in the province.
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