Asbestos (CAS 1332-21-4): storage and disposal
Asbestos survives in schools, colleges and universities as legacy heat mats, gauzes, heat resistant gloves and teaching samples, often at the back of a drawer. It may cause cancer and causes organ damage with repeated exposure, and the harm comes from breathing fibres. Handling is decided by the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and by the person who manages asbestos on your site, not by anyone clearing out a prep room.
- CAS number
- 1332-21-4
- Form
- Solid
- Storage class
- Toxic
- Signal word
- Danger
Serious health hazard
This chemical is a manual enquiry
This contains asbestos. Asbestos has its own handling and licensing rules, so it needs a specialist route.
Asbestos: regulated separately, never a chemical collection.
It cannot be priced through a form. Please do not open or move it. Call us or send an enquiry and we will talk through the safe next step, which is often a store assessment.
What to do this week
- Leave it where it is. If it looks old, crystalline or damaged, do not open or move it and keep people away from the shelf.
- Write down the label wording, the rough age and where it is stored, from a safe distance.
- Send us those details, and a photo if you can take one without touching it.
Safe storage in a school or lab
Look without touching: open the drawer or cupboard and note whether old bench mats, gauzes or gloves are worn, torn or shedding. Do that once, then close it and leave the contents undisturbed. Nothing should be stacked on them, shaken out, wiped or vacuumed, because these are the actions that put fibres into the air. Put a plain warning on the door so that nobody else clears the shelf, and keep people out if the material looks damaged. Tell the duty holder under asbestos management rules what is there and where. They may add it to the site's asbestos register. Do not bag it, relabel it or carry it to another room to tidy up, as the handling itself is the risk.
How to tell it has deteriorated
Frayed edges on an old heat mat, a soft or crumbling centre on a gauze and split seams on grey heat resistant gloves are the things to look for, along with any dusty residue beneath them. Many of these items never carried a label, and a faded one may say nothing about the contents. That means an unlabelled mat of a certain age has to be regarded with suspicion until someone competent has looked at it. The material does not change chemically, so deterioration here is purely physical, and each worn edge is a source of loose fibres. You cannot identify asbestos reliably by eye, and fibres in the air are not visible. Do not rub, snap or sample anything to find out.
How it must be disposed of
This does not go through our standard collection route. It is arranged by manual enquiry, and never goes down the drain or into general waste.
It leaves the site only through licensed or notified specialists, arranged by whoever is responsible for asbestos at your site. It is never a chemical collection, it does not go in a lab pack and it is not quoted online. Tell the duty holder first, because they may already have a contractor and a register. If you cannot work out who that is, send us a manual enquiry and we can talk through what you have found, and a store assessment is recommended. Include the room, the type of item and how worn it looks, from what you can see without touching it. Never put it into a skip or a general waste bin, and nobody should bag it up in readiness.
| Hazardous waste | Yes |
|---|
No List of Waste code is given here. The waste is outside the chemical collection stream and is assessed by manual enquiry.
The code depends on where the waste came from and what it is mixed with. Use the waste code finder to see why.
Common quantities we collect
Usually held as: legacy heat mats, gauzes, gloves.
Part-used bottles and full containers are both fine. Tell us the size and how many, and an estimate is enough for a first price.
Where it is commonly held
Hazard statements
- H350 May cause cancer.
- H372 Causes damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.
Substance as classified, dilutions may differ.
Questions
How can we tell whether an old heat mat contains asbestos?
You cannot tell reliably by looking, and cutting or snapping a piece to send away would release fibres. Treat old mats of unknown make with suspicion and leave them undisturbed. The person responsible for asbestos at your site can arrange for a competent surveyor to assess them.
Can we seal the old mats in a bag so that they are safe until someone comes?
No. Picking them up and pushing them into a bag is exactly the disturbance that releases fibres. Close the drawer or cupboard, add a warning and tell the duty holder. Any packing is then done by licensed or notified specialists who are equipped to do it.
A gauze looks perfectly sound. Does it need reporting anyway?
Yes. Sound material is less likely to release fibres, but it can still be damaged by someone who does not know what it is. Reporting it means the item goes on the record, and the next technician has a warning before they start clearing that drawer.
Someone has already handled an old mat. What should we do now?
Stop handling it, leave it where it is and keep others out of that area. Do not sweep or vacuum. Tell the duty holder what happened, who was involved and when, so that the site can decide on cleaning by specialists and on any health records needed.
