Where do I find Asbestos?

Asbestos was extensively used in building materials in the UK from the 1950s through to the mid-1980s and products continued in use after this time, whilst they were available.

  • Any building built before 2000 could contain asbestos.
  • In many cases Asbestos may be hidden - behind walls, under flooring and disguised by paints and coatings.

There are a broad range of Asbestos products in existence. This is intended as a guide only and is not exhaustive.

 
Textured Coating

1. Textured Coating (eg Artex)

Asbestos can be found in coatings on ceilings and sometimes walls as decorative plaster or paint work.

Corrugated Asbestos Cement Sheeting

2. Corrugated Asbestos Cement Sheeting - Roofs

These are often found on garages, sheds, industrial and farmyard buildings.

Asbestos Cement Wall Cladding

3. Asbestos Cement Wall Cladding

Similar in shape and structure to roof sheeting and is often found on buildings with asbestos cement roofs. A flat, panel version of this was also used in buildings, often found in larders, porches, fireplaces and electricity cupboards.

Asbestos on Water Tanks

4. Water Tanks

These are usually made of asbestos cement and often found in pre-1980 properties.

 

 

Asbestos in Floor Tiles

5. Floor Tiles

Vinyl and thermoplastic floor tiles can contain asbestos. The backing and adhesive may also contain asbestos.

 Asbestos Bitumen Resin & Bakelite Plastics

6. Asbestos Bitumen Resin & Bakelite Plastics

These include damp proof membrane, sink pads and roofing felt. Asbestos was also used in Bakelite plastic products. Typical examples still in use are light switches, toilet cisterns, toilet seats and door handles.

Rainwater products

7. Rainwater products

Roof guttering and down pipes can often be made of asbestos cement.

Sprayed Coatings

8. Sprayed Coatings

Insulation coating typically found on the underside of roofs and also sides of buildings. Asbestos was also used as fire protection on steel and reinforced concrete beams/columns and on the underside of floors.

Asbestos Insulation Board

9. Asbestos Insulation Board (AIB)

This was commonly used as a fireproofing material and it had many other uses such as: Partition walls, panels in fire doors, cupboards, boiler rooms, lift shaft linings, ceiling tiles, soffits and panelling below windows.

Loose Fill Asbestos

10. Loose Fill Asbestos

This was used to insulate industrial and domestic properties and can be found in between cavity walls under floorboards and in loft spaces.

 

Pre-formed Coatings & Lagging

11. Pre-formed Coatings & Lagging

These were used as thermal insulation for pipes and boilers.

Paper & Paper Products

12. Paper & Paper Products

Asbestos was also used for the insulation of electrical equipment and as a backing material on items like wood veneers and linoleum and inside metal cladding.

Asbestos Cement Flues

13. Asbestos Cement Flues

These may be found in boiler systems (including domestic) air conditioning and ventilation systems.

Asbestos Rope & Textiles

14. Asbestos Rope & Textiles

These can be found in fuse boxes behind the fuse, old fire blankets, heat resistant gloves and gaskets

Storage Heaters

15. Storage Heaters

Many storage heaters manufactured before 1975 may contain an asbestos sheet used as a fire retardant.

Contains public sector information published by the Health and Safety Executive and licensed under the Open Government Licence.