1. It is difficult to recognize asbestos.
   
2. What must you do if you suspect that you have found asbestos during work
   

Asbestos is a mineral that is made up out of fine, microscopic fibres. These can be so small, that they cannot be seen by the naked eye. Asbestos has been used for a large number of products. The material was often used as it was cheap and has good qualities. For instance, it is:

• fire-resistant;
  
• fungicidal and;
  
• does not rot.
  

Nowadays, the use of asbestos is forbidden by law. Unfortunately, it still often occurs that asbestos is found in buildings or objects that were built before 1994. Therefore, it is important that you know how to recognize asbestos in order to keep exposure to asbestos fibres to a minimum.

Asbestos has been incorporated into about 3,000 products, of which the most well-known are:

If you inhale asbestos fibres, you might contract nasty diseases that often do not develop until 30 years after you have been exposed. Therefore, it is important to know how you can recognize asbestos in order to keep exposure to asbestos fibres to a minimum. Asbestos fibres are only released if work is being done on a product.  

• not recognizing asbestos;
  
• as a result, coming into contact with asbestos;
  
• contracting diseases, such as asbestosis (black lung disease), long cancer and pleural plaque (thickening of the pleura)
  

If you come across asbestos, stop working immediately and report it to your line manager.