Assessment of asbestos risks from soils

In the past few months, IOM (with Wolverhampton City Council and Johnson, Poole and Bloomer) have successfully completed a very major joint investigation of asbestos in gardens in a housing estate. IOM has also re-appraised risks from asbestos in track surfaces of 'rights of way' in Cambridgeshire (to take account of changes in circumstances), and has provided services and advice regarding asbestos in soils to a wide range of customers in a wide range of situations.

There are no standard methods for assessing asbestos contamination in soil and the associated risks and there are disparate views in the scientific community. IOM work has extended the understanding of exposures and risks arising from asbestos in soils and IOM is committed to promoting sound, practical and scientifically-based methods for assessing risks from asbestos in soils. One of our most senior asbestos consultants, Alan Jones, presented papers at both the Brownfield Remediation Conference in London on 12th October and at the CL:AIRE Conference on Asbestos in Soil in Manchester on 1st November. A joint IOM, WCC and JPB seminar is planned in January 2012 to disseminate the details of the Wolverhampton investigation and its consequences. Our commitment to developing best practice extends beyond presentation and publication with IOM staff also contributing to professional expert groups engaged in the development of standard methods to assess asbestos risks from soils.