Synthetic roofing and asbestos

Synthetic roofing very popular in LOS, besides being cheap it's much lighter so it requires less roof support.

I'm interested in using this, however I've read that it can contain asbestos. Is there anyway of knowing whether a particular brand/type is asbestos free?

Water would be collected off the roof to be used for everything except cooking and drinking. So it's very important the sheets are safe.

I've been looking around everywhere, but there doesn't seem to be much info. The Thais have never heard of asbestos and just say the stuff is safe because no one in there village died.

Does anyone know?

Asbestos is only dangerous if the fibres become airborne, by breaking apart materials containing asbestos.
One aspect about asbestos is that smoking in a place with asbestos products in it vastly multiplies the chances of getting lung cancer.
White asbestos is considered safe, it is the blue (crocidolite)asbestos which causes asbestosis

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Originally Posted by Thetyim

Asbestos is only dangerous if the fibres become airborne, by breaking apart materials containing asbestos.

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I realize this, but I'd just prefer to stay away from the stuff altogether. I don't want to put the lives of the ppl installing it (or anyone else) at risk.

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Originally Posted by Smithson

Synthetic roofing and asbestos

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What is meant by that?

Do you mean 24"X48" fiberglass corrugated panels that are used for roofs here?

If thats what you are talking about, Yea they are a lot lighter, but not worth a damn either.

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Originally Posted by blackgang

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Smithson

Synthetic roofing and asbestos

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What is meant by that?

Do you mean 24"X48" fiberglass corrugated panels that are used for roofs here?

If thats what you are talking about, Yea they are a lot lighter, but not worth a damn either.

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It's the stuff we would call cement sheet or AC in Australia. We're using it for a shed.

I am a Yank, so I dont know what it is you mean.
But most here use the fiberglass corrugated panels that are light weight and held on with 2 J bolts poked up from inside, and they are cheap shit, they put them on the house when we had it built and I had them changed to tiles and they did have to add some more rafters and of coarse the new purlins.
It doesn't take that many more rafters and the purlins are different anyway and the roof is a lot better and the weight don't make that much difference if the house is block.

^
Fibreglass ?
Are you sure ?
I thought is was either asbestos or cement.
The translucent ones might be fibreglass

No cement ones, as far as I know.

The heavy ones are ceramic, the 'medium' quality larger ones some sort of asbestos-like fibre, with a sealant coat on the outside - at least I hope it is not asbestos, since we drink the rain-water from the roof.

As best as I can google the roof tiles are made from fibre cement and contain no asbestos.

Fibre cement products are a mixture of cellulose fibre, cement, ground sand and water.

There are rooftiles made from asbestos i don't think they are made anymore though, they look like blue slate tiles but with a different texture, i have come across them before.
a cheap way to go might be to use plywood and roofing shingles, don't know how available they are in Thailand.

this is what they look like.
Owens Corning Shingles

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Fibre cement tiles were started in 1980.

I have seen some older houses with square tiles that are positioned diagonally.
Could these be asbestos ?

I was pricing up a roof a couple of months ago and they were on a building that was around 60 years old, don't know if they were the original tile or not, decided to steer clear of it anyway.

Had a quick google and came up with this
http://www.customtileroofing.com/ima...es/Eternit.jpg

they are called transite tiles, they are a cheaper alternative to what we call bangor blue slates here in Ireland

Those owens corning shingles are composition roofing, not worth a shit in this hot climate, they are asphalt/fiber,
Transite is good material, they use it for water or sewer pipes.
I wouldn't worry about asbestos roofing, if there is such a thing any more, only place it was any danger was in pipe lagging or in some insulation materials..

The big corrugated tiles are fine, made of a similar material to the white board that gets used for internal ceilings

depending on the manufaturer, the quality varies

we had a severe hailstorm last month; the main house tiles were not damaged, made by the company that has an elephant trademark. Some others, made by ?, we were using on the small houses had 17 tiles cracked by the hailstones

I think the elephant is Siam Cement.

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Originally Posted by DrAndy

The big corrugated tiles are fine, made of a similar material to the white board that gets used for internal ceilings

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Them is the ones I was talking about.
More durable than corrugated iron sheets and less expensive than the heavy ones, which seem to be either ceramic or cement.

They are less than 1 cm thick and brittle, yeah, seems the same material as the wall/ceiling boards they use, didn't know cement is used in em, they seem too light for that. Easy to cut with a grinder as well.

yes Blackgang, Siam Cement are the good ones

in many colours; the colour seems to act as a hard protective layer

Stroller, yes, cement (see manufacturer) and prob fibreglass for strength mixed in, but not certain about that

^
Read post #9 or go here
Tell me more about Fibre Cement

Asbestos in Thailand
Global Health Impact of Asbestos: An Experience from Thailand
"In 2004, sixteen
asbestos-using factories with 1,900 workers were registered at the Department of
Industrial Work, Ministry of Industry."




Asbestos (Chrysotile) in Thailand

Hello can any one help .
The fence panels which are used in thailand a lot ,every one sells them to me it looks like asbestosis and not been able to read what's on the label I am un sure can any one confirm if they are ok or not
Many thanks steve