we have asbestos in our community allotment?

Hello Jon,

As long as you do not eat the shingles or pulverize them and then smoke cigarettes in the dust cloud, you'll be fine.

Try purchasing your vegetables from Waitrose, WalMart, Whole Foods, or Safeway instead of trying to grow vegetables next to a dilapidated Supermarine Spitfire factory. Perhaps put yourself up on Crags List as a low level toxic detector.

Cheers, and don't take a dunk in the old green briny, argh matey! KO

It will not effect food growing nor should it contaminate the plants, it is not poisonous, the danger comes from inhaling the fibres, if it is low grade it is probable bonded into concrete and will pose little threat of inhilation if it is fibrous then they would have sealed the area and arranged removal. Most buildings built in the 60's and 70's have asbestos in them and this is only dangersous when being drilled into or worked on with tools as the dust contains the fibres, your plants will be ok.

The danger with asbestos is not that it's in the ground but when it's in the air. Breathing in the fibers is what causes lung diseases and that's why it is considered dangerous. While it won't hurt the vegetables it may hurt the gardeners if it becomes airborne. I don't think I'd want it in my garden.

If this is a city run program, I'd ask about cleaning it up

It depends on the amount. Was it dumped or are you talking natural asbestos in the soil. For low levels, it will have no impact, but if a dump, you need to contact authorities. I would be curious how you determined it was present.

Deadly! Danger of a slow and painful death!

Get out while you still can! Do not eat any of the vegetables grown on the allotment and just keep as far away from the area as possible.

Never go back!!

What you will have is type II asbestos. It can be already encapsulated and also you because the house owner can remove and dispose of it your self. The unsafe type of asbestos is class I (friable asbestos) this means that that it can be dry and crumbly. Classification I asbestos is customarily observed in ancient boiler lagging (pipe insulation), historic ceiling tiles, and many others. And that is the style that can eventually kill you. Classification II asbestos is also discovered in the ancient cement/asbestos siding that was once preferred in the 50's by way of the early 70's. The laws concerning removal and disposal of sophistication II asbestos have been greatly secure, and in many locales it can be discarded as simple household trash. The one viable publicity you could get in the elimination of class II asbestos is utilising vigor instruments on it (saws etc.) seeing that of the dirt generated. When you persist with non-energy tools for the removal, you can be high-quality. If it have been me, i would put off as so much as possible by hand, then with ease overlay the ground with 1/four" laun underlayment, then set up your new ground. BTW, I was once involved in asbestos elimination for a few years as a contractor.

Extremely low.

None.

I'm surprised anyone even tested for it.

In reality, i absolutely do not