What Happens If You Get Asbestos on Your Hands?
Most people know asbestos is dangerous to breathe in — but what about skin contact? If you’ve ever disturbed old building materials and found yourself wondering whether asbestos on your hands poses a serious risk, you’re not alone. It’s a question that comes up regularly on construction sites, during home renovations, and in workplaces where older buildings are still in use.
The short answer is that asbestos fibres on your hands are not absorbed through the skin. But that doesn’t mean you can simply brush them off and carry on. The real danger lies in what happens next — and understanding that risk is essential for protecting your long-term health.
How Asbestos Fibres Actually Cause Harm
Asbestos becomes dangerous when its microscopic fibres are released into the air and inhaled. Once lodged deep in the lung tissue, these fibres cannot be expelled by the body. Over time — often decades — they can cause serious and incurable diseases including mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer.
The fibres themselves are invisible to the naked eye, odourless, and have no taste or feel. You won’t know you’ve inhaled them at the time. That’s precisely what makes asbestos so insidious, and why any situation involving potential skin contact needs to be handled carefully and correctly.
Asbestos on Your Hands: The Real Risk
When asbestos gets on your hands, the fibres won’t penetrate your skin and enter your bloodstream. The health risk isn’t dermal absorption — it’s secondary inhalation. Here’s how that happens:
- Touching your face — rubbing your eyes, nose, or mouth transfers fibres directly to your airways
- Eating or drinking without washing your hands first means fibres can be ingested or inhaled
- Handling clothing or equipment after touching contaminated materials can spread fibres to other surfaces
- Brushing fibres off your hands releases them back into the air, where they can be inhaled by you or anyone nearby
This is why the instinctive reaction of brushing or blowing dust off your hands is exactly the wrong thing to do. You’re simply redistributing the fibres into the air around you.
Can Asbestos Cause Skin Irritation?
Some people do report mild skin irritation after handling asbestos-containing materials — a slight itching or discomfort. This is a mechanical irritation caused by the physical sharpness of the fibres, similar to how fibreglass insulation can irritate the skin.
It is not a sign of asbestos-related disease, but it is a clear indicator that you’ve been in contact with fibrous material that should not be handled without proper protection.
What to Do If You Get Asbestos on Your Hands
If you suspect you’ve touched asbestos-containing material, acting calmly and correctly matters. Panic often leads to actions — like vigorous brushing or shaking — that make things considerably worse.
- Stop what you’re doing — don’t continue disturbing the material
- Keep your hands away from your face — do not touch your eyes, nose, or mouth
- Move to a clean area — away from any dust or disturbed material
- Wash your hands thoroughly — use soap and water, washing for at least 20 seconds; do not use a dry cloth or brush to remove fibres
- Remove and bag contaminated clothing — place it in a sealed plastic bag for proper disposal
- Shower if possible — especially if fibres may have settled on your hair or other skin
- Do not eat, drink, or smoke until you have thoroughly washed
If you believe significant exposure has occurred — for example, you were working in an enclosed space with heavily disturbed asbestos-containing materials — report this to your employer and seek occupational health advice. A single brief exposure is unlikely to cause disease, but any exposure should be documented and taken seriously.
Why Protective Gloves Alone Are Not Enough
Gloves are a useful part of personal protective equipment when working around asbestos, but they can give a false sense of security if worn without other precautions. Asbestos fibres are so fine that they can work through loose-fitting gloves, and removing contaminated gloves incorrectly can transfer fibres directly to your hands.
The priority protection when working near asbestos is always respiratory — a properly fitted FFP3 disposable respirator or a half-face mask with P3 filters. Gloves, disposable coveralls, and overshoes all play a supporting role, but without respiratory protection, you remain at serious risk regardless of what’s covering your hands.
The Correct PPE for Asbestos Work
For any work that might disturb asbestos-containing materials, the following PPE should be worn as a minimum:
- FFP3 disposable respirator or half-face mask with P3 filters — fitted and face-fit tested
- Disposable Type 5/6 coveralls — worn over work clothing
- Nitrile disposable gloves — worn inside coverall cuffs
- Disposable overshoes or boot covers
- Safety goggles if overhead work is involved
All PPE should be removed in a controlled sequence — starting with the most contaminated outer items — and placed in sealed waste bags. Never take contaminated PPE home to wash.
Identifying Asbestos Before You Touch It
The most effective way to avoid getting asbestos on your hands is to know where it is before you start any work. Asbestos was used extensively in UK buildings constructed or refurbished before 2000. It appears in hundreds of different products — insulation boards, floor tiles, ceiling tiles, pipe lagging, Artex coatings, roofing felt, and more.
You cannot identify asbestos by sight alone. Before undertaking any work that involves disturbing building fabric — drilling, cutting, sanding, or demolishing — a refurbishment survey should be carried out by a qualified surveyor. This identifies and characterises any asbestos-containing materials in the areas to be worked on, so contractors know exactly what they’re dealing with before a single tool is raised.
For buildings already in use, a management survey establishes the location and condition of asbestos-containing materials throughout the property. This forms the basis of an asbestos register and management plan — a legal requirement for non-domestic premises under the Control of Asbestos Regulations.
What If You’re Not Sure Whether a Material Contains Asbestos?
If you encounter a material that you suspect might contain asbestos — perhaps during a renovation or maintenance job — treat it as if it does until proven otherwise. Don’t disturb it. Don’t drill, cut, sand, or break it. Leave it in place and arrange for asbestos testing by a qualified professional.
If you’ve already collected a small sample and want a quick answer, a postal testing kit allows you to send a sample to a UKAS-accredited laboratory for analysis. Results confirm whether asbestos is present and, if so, which type — giving you the information you need to manage the risk properly.
For a more thorough assessment of suspect materials on site, professional asbestos testing carried out by a qualified surveyor ensures samples are collected safely and results are fully documented in a format that supports your legal obligations.
Employer Duties and Legal Obligations
If you’re an employer or building manager, the legal framework around asbestos is clear. The Control of Asbestos Regulations place a duty on those responsible for non-domestic premises to manage asbestos — and that means knowing where it is, assessing its condition, and ensuring workers are protected.
Employers must ensure that anyone who may come into contact with asbestos during their work — including maintenance staff, contractors, and tradespeople — has received adequate information, instruction, and training. Sending workers into a building without knowledge of its asbestos status is a legal failure with serious consequences.
Regular re-inspection surveys are also required to monitor the condition of known asbestos-containing materials. A material that was in good condition last year may have deteriorated, increasing the risk of fibre release. Annual re-inspections keep the asbestos register current and ensure your management plan reflects the actual state of the building.
HSG264 and the Survey Standards That Protect Workers
HSG264 is the HSE’s definitive guidance on asbestos surveying. It sets out exactly how management surveys and refurbishment surveys should be conducted, what qualifications surveyors must hold, and how findings should be recorded. Any survey that doesn’t follow HSG264 standards is not legally defensible — and won’t give you the reliable information you need to protect your workforce.
All Supernova Asbestos Surveys surveys are conducted by BOHS P402-qualified surveyors and follow HSG264 in full. Samples are analysed at a UKAS-accredited laboratory, and reports include a full asbestos register, risk assessment, and management plan.
Asbestos Awareness Training: Who Needs It?
Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations, anyone who is liable to disturb asbestos during their work — or who supervises such work — must receive appropriate asbestos awareness training. This includes:
- Electricians, plumbers, and other tradespeople working in older buildings
- Maintenance and facilities management staff
- Construction workers on refurbishment or demolition projects
- Housing officers and surveyors conducting property inspections
Awareness training covers what asbestos is, where it’s found, the health risks, and what to do if you encounter or suspect asbestos. It doesn’t qualify someone to work with asbestos — that requires specific licensed contractor training — but it gives workers the knowledge to protect themselves and report risks appropriately.
Beyond Asbestos: Other Health and Safety Considerations
Buildings that contain asbestos often present other hazards too. If you’re managing an older property, it’s worth ensuring that your health and safety obligations are met across the board.
A fire risk assessment is a legal requirement for most non-domestic premises and should be reviewed regularly — particularly following any building works or changes in occupancy. Addressing asbestos and fire safety together gives you a clearer picture of your building’s overall risk profile and helps you prioritise remedial action effectively.
Getting Professional Help: When to Call a Surveyor
There are situations where professional intervention isn’t just advisable — it’s legally required. You need a qualified asbestos surveyor if:
- You’re planning any refurbishment, renovation, or demolition work in a building constructed before 2000
- You manage a non-domestic premises and don’t have a current asbestos register
- Your existing asbestos register hasn’t been updated by a re-inspection survey within the last 12 months
- Workers have potentially been exposed to asbestos and you need to assess the situation
- You’re buying or selling a commercial property and need to understand the asbestos position
If you’re based in the capital, an asbestos survey London from Supernova can typically be arranged within the same week. For those in the north west, an asbestos survey Manchester is equally accessible. And if you’re in the Midlands, our asbestos survey Birmingham service provides the same fast, reliable coverage — with nationwide surveys across England, Scotland, and Wales.
Supernova Asbestos Surveys has completed over 50,000 surveys across the UK. Whether you need to establish where asbestos is in your building, confirm whether a suspect material is safe, or ensure your legal obligations are fully met, our qualified surveyors are ready to help.
Call us on 020 4586 0680 or visit asbestos-surveys.org.uk to book your survey or request a quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is asbestos absorbed through the skin?
No. Asbestos fibres are not absorbed through the skin and do not enter the bloodstream dermally. The primary danger of asbestos on your hands is secondary inhalation — fibres transferred from hands to face and then inhaled, or fibres brushed off and re-released into the air. Washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water after any potential contact is the correct response.
What should I do immediately if I get asbestos on my hands?
Keep your hands away from your face, move away from the source of contamination, and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Do not brush or blow the fibres off — this releases them into the air. Remove and bag any contaminated clothing. If significant exposure occurred in an enclosed space, report it to your employer and seek occupational health advice.
Can asbestos on your hands cause cancer?
Asbestos fibres on the skin do not cause cancer through dermal contact. Asbestos-related diseases — including mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer — are caused by inhaling fibres. The risk from having asbestos on your hands comes from inadvertently transferring those fibres to your face and airways, which is why correct decontamination procedure matters.
Do I need a survey before renovation work in an older building?
Yes. Any building constructed or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos-containing materials. Before any work that involves disturbing the building fabric — drilling, cutting, or demolition — a refurbishment survey carried out by a BOHS P402-qualified surveyor is required. This protects workers from unknowingly disturbing asbestos and ensures legal compliance under the Control of Asbestos Regulations.
How do I know if a material contains asbestos?
You cannot tell by looking at it. Asbestos was incorporated into a wide range of building products, and many are indistinguishable from non-asbestos alternatives without laboratory analysis. If you suspect a material may contain asbestos, treat it as hazardous, leave it undisturbed, and arrange for professional testing. A postal testing kit or an on-site survey by a qualified surveyor will give you a definitive answer.