Asbestos Cement Products

Where is it? - You can find asbestos cement in many places inside and outside buildings.
What does it look like? - Asbestos cement is just ordinary cement mixed with asbestos, in some cases asbestos ca make up over a third of the cement. It is a hard, gray material which was moulded and compressed to produce some of the materials listed above.
How dangerous is it? - As the asbestos is held tightly within the structure of the cement not much is given off when this is broken, however more asbestos fibres will be given off if it is sawn or drilled. You don't need a license to carry our work with asbestos cement.


Asbestos Textured Coatings

Where is it? - Textured coatings were used to produce decorative finishing on ceilings and walls. In the past, they have had various trade names such as 'Artex'.
What does it look like? - This is dependent on the particular decorative finish required i.e. peaks or patterns. They are hard and were originally white in colour but have often been painted over.
How dangerous is it? - The asbestos fibres are held in place within the structure and are not easily given off and breathed in, however they are easily released if the coatings are sanded down - never do this.

Asbestos Textiles & Composites

Where do you find these? - Sometimes you may find asbestos floor tiles hidden under carpets. Textiles can be found in fuse boxes behind the actual fuse. Old fire blankets and heat resistant gloves can also be made out of asbestos textiles. Asbestos composites can be toilet cisterns and seats, window sills, and bath panels. Asbestos paper was used for lining under tiles and inside metal cladding.
What do these look like? - These asbestos containing materials are not very distinctive from what is used now. To make sure we recommend you ask the owners about how long they've had certain things or look for a trade name. You should be able to look up this trade name on the internet to find out more about it.
How dangerous are these? - These should be treated with caution, if in doubt assume they are asbestos and treat as such. You do not need a licence to work on these materials.

Asbestos Sprayed Coatings

Where do you find this? - Insulation on the underside of roofs and sometimes sides of buildings and warehouses. Also used as fire protection on steel and reinforced concrete beams/columns and on underside of floors. It was very easy to overspray or get a 'splash back' from the equipment used to apply this so there is likely to be debris around the sprayed area.
What does this look like? - Usually white or grey in colour with a rough surface, although they may have been painted.
How dangerous is this? - This contains up to 85% asbestos and breaks up very easily. It is one of the most dangerous materials containing asbestos. Even minor disturbance of sprayed coatings can release large quantities of asbestos fibres into the air where they can be breathed in. DO NOT attempt to work on this material under any circumstances unless you are a HSE-licensed contractor.

Asbestos Insulating Board (AIB)

Where do you find this? - Asbestos Insulating Board was commonly used as fireproofing material but it had many other uses such as: Partition walls, Fireproofing panels in fire doors, Lift shaft linings, Ceiling tiles, Soffits and Panels below windows.
What does is look like? - Normal building items such as wall panels boards, ceiling tiles and plasterboard. It is difficult to tell the difference between asbestos insulating board items and non-asbestos materials.
How dangerous is this? - Work on AIB normally needs a HSE-licensed contractor. Asbestos insulating board easily releases fibres in to the air when disturbed. Some small or minor tasks can be carried out by non-licensed workers, these include: Drill hole (AIB), Remove ceiling tile, Remove fireproofed door, Remove 1m2 screwed board, Clean light fittings, Repair minor damage and Paint undamaged board.

Asbestos Lagging

Where do you find this? - Mostly found in or on heating systems such as round boilers or calorifiers and around pipework.
What does this look like? - This type of asbestos has many different appearances but is mostly a fibrous material which flakes and powders easily. When applied to pipes it is often covered in a protective coating (or painted) which can be any colour, and may make it more difficult to identify.
How dangerous is this? - This is one of the most dangerous materials containing asbestos. You are more at risk from breathing in asbestos fibres because disturbance of the lagging or insulation releases fibres very easily in to the air that you breathe. DO NOT attempt to work on this material under any circumstances unless you are a HSE-licensed contractor.

Loose Asbestos

Where do you find this? - This was used to insulate industrial and domestic premises so can be found in between cavity walls, under floorboards and in loft spaces.
What does this look like? - This is a loose, fluffy insulation material (similar to candyfloss), which may be blue-grey or whitish in colour.
How dangerous is this? - Probably the most dangerous asbestos containing material. Loose fill is made up of pure asbestos and if disturbed can release large amounts of fibres in to the air, where they can be breathed in. DO NOT attempt to work on this material under any circumstances unless you are a HSE-licensed contractor.

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