Asbestos in old buildings in Saudi Arabia: what to do with suspect materials before renovation
Updated: 7 min readBy the Azl technical teamHealth & environmental safety of insulation
Contents
You buy an old traditional house in Al-Ahsa, or take over a 1980s building in Jeddah for refurbishment, and find corrugated grey sheets on the roof, or a crumbling white wrap around old pipes. The obvious questions follow: is this asbestos, and are we in danger right now? The calm answer is this: the possibility is real, and the risk depends far more on what you do to the material than on its mere presence. This article walks through how to think about the situation step by step before any renovation or re-insulation begins.
Why is asbestos in old buildings a serious health issue?
Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring mineral fibres that were used for decades in building products because they are durable and heat resistant. The World Health Organization states that all forms of asbestos, including chrysotile or "white asbestos", are carcinogenic to humans. The EPA links exposure to lung cancer, to mesothelioma (a cancer of the lining of the lungs, chest and abdomen) and to asbestosis, a chronic non-cancerous lung disease, and notes that smoking increases the risk of asbestos-related lung disease.
What many owners miss is that these diseases appear many years after exposure, so the absence of symptoms today says nothing about what happened yesterday. OSHA states that there is no safe level of asbestos exposure and that the highest exposures occur in construction work, particularly during removal in renovation, repair and demolition. In an old house, the real moment of danger is usually the moment somebody starts working on it.
Where might asbestos be found in older homes and buildings?
The EPA lists past construction uses including roofing sheets and shingles, ceiling and floor tiles, asbestos-cement products, vinyl floor tiles, and hot pipes wrapped in asbestos-containing insulation. The table below links those categories to what you might see in older buildings here, with one caveat: suspicion is not confirmation.
| Material | Where it is usually seen | When fibre release becomes more likely |
|---|---|---|
| Corrugated or flat fibre-cement sheets | Shade structures, rooftop annexes, storerooms, old partitions | When broken, drilled or cut, or badly weathered |
| Old cement pipes | Older water or drainage runs in some buildings | When cut or broken during renovation |
| Old thermal wraps on pipes and boilers | Plant rooms, old hot-water pipework | When crumbling or being scraped |
| Old vinyl floor tiles and their adhesive | Older rooms and offices | When scraped, sanded or lifted with powered strippers |
| Old suspended ceiling tiles | Older offices and shops | When removed, broken or drilled for new services |
Leave it, repair it or remove it: how is the decision made?
The EPA's first rule is to leave intact asbestos-containing material alone. Cohesive material that will not be touched generally does not release fibres. When the material is damaged, or will be affected by planned work, a specialist chooses between several options:
- Encapsulation: treating the material with a sealant that binds the fibres together or coats the surface, as the EPA describes it.
- Enclosure: fitting a cover over or around the material so fibres cannot escape, without removing it.
- Removal: the most complex option and the one that disturbs the most fibres, normally used when demolition or major renovation forces it. It is work for a specialised licensed contractor using containment, wetting and sealed waste handling.
| Condition of the material | Will planned work affect it? | Usual direction |
|---|---|---|
| Intact and cohesive | No | Leave it, monitor it periodically and record it in the building file |
| Intact and cohesive | Yes (drilling, cutting, dismantling) | Specialist assessment before starting, then change the work plan or bring in a licensed contractor |
| Damaged or crumbling | No | Specialist assessment, and restrict access to the area until encapsulation, enclosure or removal is decided |
| Damaged or crumbling | Yes | Stop work in that area until a licensed contractor deals with it |
What should you do before re-insulating a roof or renovating an old house?
- 1
Gather what you know about the building
The year of construction, whether there are old additions such as shades or annexes, and any old drawings or invoices for building materials. This helps a specialist identify suspect materials.
- 2
Ask for an inspection before final pricing
Through a home inspection service, the materials that the work will affect are identified, and any parts that need specialist testing are flagged before anyone touches them.
- 3
Use an independent assessor when in doubt
The EPA advises that whoever assesses the need for repair or removal should be independent of the firm that will carry out the removal, to avoid a conflict of interest.
- 4
Adjust the scope of work
The answer may be that the insulation contractor avoids drilling or lifting the sheets, or that a licensed firm removes the material first and insulation then starts on a clean roof.
- 5
Plan for waste before it exists
Asbestos waste must not be mixed with ordinary demolition waste or left in open skips. The details are in our article on safe disposal of insulation waste.
Which common mistakes should you avoid?
What not to do with a suspect material
- Do not break, cut, drill, sand or scrape it
- Do not dry-sweep or dry-wipe the dust, and do not vacuum it with an ordinary household vacuum
- Do not take a sample yourself; the EPA says a badly taken sample can be more dangerous than leaving the material alone
- Do not use powered strippers on old suspect floor tiles
- Keep children away from any area with damaged material
- Do not put pieces in the municipal bin or burn them
Printable checklist — use your browser's print command.
If an unidentified fibrous material turns up during work, the right response is to stop work at that point until it has been assessed, not for the worker to carry on "carefully". This is part of the general principles in our health and safety guide to insulation materials, and on any refurbishment project this item belongs in the work plan from day one. If the roof itself is at the end of its life, see also insulation renewal.
Frequently asked questions
Do old cement sheets on the roof mean the house is dangerous?
Not necessarily. If the sheets are intact and will not be touched, the EPA recommends leaving them undisturbed, because cohesive material generally does not release fibres. The risk rises when they are broken, cut, drilled or heavily weathered. If insulation or renovation work will touch them, have a specialist assess them before work starts.
Can I tell asbestos by looking at it or touching it?
No. The EPA explains that you cannot know a material contains asbestos just by looking at it unless it carries a label saying so. Confirmation requires a laboratory analysis of a sample taken by a trained professional using procedures that prevent fibre release, because a badly taken sample can increase exposure.
What is the difference between encapsulating and removing asbestos?
Encapsulation means treating the material with a sealant that binds its fibres or coats its surface, and enclosure means fitting a cover around it. Both leave the material in place and stop fibres escaping. Removal takes the material out entirely, which is more complex and needs a licensed contractor with containment, wetting and lawful waste transport.
A worker started breaking an old material and we now suspect asbestos. What do we do?
Stop work in that area immediately, move people out and close it off, and do not sweep the dust or vacuum it with an ordinary cleaner. Call a specialist to assess the situation, take a sample and clean the area properly. If you have health concerns after the exposure, see a doctor and tell them what happened.
Can a roof with suspect old sheets be insulated without removing them?
Sometimes, if the insulation method can be designed so that the sheets are not drilled, cut or scraped, and the sheets are intact. The decision follows a specialist inspection of their condition, because some preparation methods, such as scraping or mechanical fixing, can disturb fibres. When in doubt, specialist treatment comes before insulation.
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References and sources
- Protect Your Family from Exposures to Asbestos — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) · epa.gov
- Learn About Asbestos — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) · epa.gov
- Asbestos – Fact Sheet — World Health Organization · who.int
- Asbestos – Overview — Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) · osha.gov
External links pass through Azl's Consumer Safety Center for checking before leading to other organisations' websites. Citing them does not imply they endorse Azl. Technical values are typical and vary by product; the final reference is the approved product's datasheet and the project design. Editorial policy