Where Asbestos is found in buildings
Asbestos Knowledge Base
The following materials are where you are most likely to come across asbestos. The list is in order of fibre release (with the highest potential fibre release first);
- Sprayed asbestos and asbestos loose packing- generally used as fire breaks in ceiling voids
- Molded or preformed lagging- used in thermal insulation of pipes and boilers
- Sprayed asbestos- used as fire protection in ducts, firebreaks, panels, partitions, soffit boards, ceiling panels and around structural steel work
- Insulating boards used for fire protection, thermal insulation, partitioning and ducts
- Some ceiling tiles
- Millboard, paper and paper products used for insulation of electrical equipment. Asbestos paper has also been used as a fire-proof facing on wood fibreboard
- Asbestos cement products, which can be fully or semi-compressed into flat or corrugated sheets. Corrugated sheets are largely used as roofing and wall cladding. Other asbestos cement products include gutters, rainwater pipes and water tanks
- Certain textured coatings
- Bitumen roofing materials
- Vinyl or thermoplastic floor tiles
Further information can be found in the HSE publications:
- HSG210 Asbestos essentials task manual
- HSG213 Introduction to asbestos essentials
- HSG227 A comprehensive guide to managing asbestos in premises
- HSG264 Asbestos: The survey guide