Hail uncovers asbestos on older Timaru roofs

Hazardous asbestos could be in public air spaces in Timaru after the November 20 hailstorm damaged old roofs, Betta Inspect It building inspector Craig O’Keefe says.

‘‘I’m testing for asbestos in the decramastic tile [pressed metal tile] roofs because obviously they are quite heavily damaged from the hail and a few of the properties, the dust off the tiles has made its way onto the ground and out onto public footpaths.

‘‘The biggest concern is when it’s airborne and essentially once there is dust off the tiles it could be airborne,’’ O’Keefe said.

According to the Ministry of Health, all forms of asbestos can cause cancer and ‘‘no ‘safe’ lower limit of exposure has been identified with certainty’’, although risks increase with the amount and length of exposure.

Quarrying for asbestos in New Zealand stopped in 1963 and the importation of asbestos materials was banned in October 2016.

O’Keefe first became concerned when he turned up to test for asbestos wearing a mask and protective clothing and found children playing outside nearby.

He said his company had been inundated with calls after the storm, receiving about two years worth of work in just two weeks, most of which were residential properties.

There has been an increase in awareness of asbestos risks in recent years and most of these calls came in from insurance companies, property owners and tenants, he said.

He said loosely speaking, the problematic tiles were used on builds between the 1950s and 1980s, although they may have been replaced.

‘‘If you’ve got a roof from before 1990 that’s got the grit on the tiles we would say it’s likely to contain until its tested.’’

O’Keefe said more troubles could arise in the repair because before tiles can be repaired they are usually water-blasted to remove moss and debris.

‘‘They potentially run the risk of moving that asbestos material off the roof. It would certainly pay to talk to your insurance company about what is going to happen.’’

Countdown Church St was closed for asbestos testing last Friday after storm damage revealed asbestoscontaining material in an isolated area of the store.

Extensive testing found no trace of asbestos in the shop floor area and the store was cleared to reopen yesterday.

JOHN BISSET/STUFF Building inspector Craig O’Keefe is concerned dust from asbestos-containing tiles may have become scattered on public footpaths through the hailstorm and cleanup operations.