Posted By Clive Billington Could someone please tell me if I have measured 0.015 f/ml asbestos after a ceiling tile has been dislodged, would it be reasonably practicable to pay for a clean up of £10 000 to £15 000. Normal background reading is 0.01 f/ml and the action level is 0.1f/ml. Thanks for any help

Posted By Smurfer Clive Are you sure they're asbestos fibres which are being counted? If the area wasn't clean before the asbestos tile fell out, then the fibres could have come from anywhere... the counting rules mean you count respirable fibres regardless of the substance. You may get the analyst to provide a judgement (based on experience) as to the presence of asbestos. By the way, the <0.01 f/ml 'reassurance' level is purely based on the limit of detection of the sampling method - it still equates to 10,000 fibres per cubic metre!

Posted By steven bentham You are unlikely to get significant readings from just dislodging a ceiling tile. You don't mention if the tiles are asbestos! You don't mention if the tiles have been signifcantly damaged or smashed up. You don't mention if your readings were from a pump running without any background disturbance or with static air. Normally, clearance certification on asbestos removal work is done to <0.01 f/ml. So if the tests you have done are above that then this would not pass an air test following asbestos removal works and the licensed contractor would not release the area back to you. Action limits above this are for workers with ppe. If you need more advice e-mail me direct.