Asbestos in gardens

Over the past couple of years we have increasingly become involved in instances where asbestos contamination has turned up in gardens in housing schemes built on redeveloped sites. Screening for asbestos on brownfield sites has only become routine in the past few years and we believe that asbestos may turn up in many more new and existing developments in the future.

Last month, IOM, in association with REHIS, successfully ran an afternoon seminar on “Asbestos Contamination in Gardens” in Edinburgh. It was well attended with participants from local authorities and other organisations across Scotland.

The seminar was based on our practical experience of dealing with this difficult and worrying issue in a wide range of situations. We covered asbestos in brownfield sites, assessing the contamination, how exposure occurs, estimating exposure, risks to health, remediation and some guidance and legislative requirements. It provoked considerable interest and finished with lively discussion.

IOM will run several more seminars across the UK. Dates and venues will be released in the next few weeks.