# Asbestos in old clay brick ??



## Wirenuting (Sep 12, 2010)

emtnut said:


> Met with the safety officer for a site I'm working at.
> 
> off topic for a sec, but I'm only running EMT and 120V, but I needed to have FR rated clothes. I guess I should suit up when I plug in the kettle in the AM.
> 
> ...



Yes it could have been in it. Asbestos was used as a filler and binder early on. It was also used a lot in old plaster work. It was cheaper then Horse hair and would not degrade in brick. We found it in the brick at work in our oldest buildings. These buildings were build from onsite brick mills. We had two types of brick. Inner layers that the asbestos was found in, these bricks were softer. And we have the outer and harder brick that we all see and love. These were high grade brick that have stood the test of weather and time. 

Note, not all the inner bricks sampled came back positive..


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## emtnut (Mar 1, 2015)

Wirenuting said:


> Yes it could have been in it. Asbestos was used as a filler and binder early on. It was also used a lot in old plaster work. It was cheaper then Horse hair and would not degrade in brick. We found it in the brick at work in our oldest buildings. These buildings were build from onsite brick mills. We had two types of brick. Inner layers that the asbestos was found in, these bricks were softer. And we have the outer and harder brick that we all see and love. These were high grade brick that have stood the test of weather and time.
> 
> Note, not all the inner bricks sampled came back positive..


This brick was quite soft ... easy to drill into for sure. Some of the replacement bricks were harder, and visibly newer.

Thanks, at least I know I didn't look like the 'forensics crew' for nothing :biggrin:


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## MikeFL (Apr 16, 2016)

Asbestos is naturally occurring in the earth. Dig a hole and you can be exposed to asbestos. Clay to make bricks comes from the earth. It can have asbestos in it. The mortar used to lay the bricks could have asbestos.

I don't know regulations in Canada but here it's required to have an asbestos survey prior to any activities which can disturb asbestos. Best part? You can still purchase brand new building materials today which contain asbestos. So there is no end. Build a brand new building today and want to do rework next week? Get an asbestos survey.


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