40 Places You Can Find Asbestos Containing Materials

Asbestos-containing materials (often referred to as ACM's), can be found in many places. Asbestos is present in thousands of buildings in the UK. In offices, hospitals, homes and buildings of all types.

We have discussed how asbestos is dangerous in a previous blog post. Asbestos fibres are deadly and responsible for around 5000 deaths each year in the UK.

If something is bad, generally it is something you should stay away from. So, is asbestos a material you should be looking for? Why is it important to know where asbestos-containing materials might be found?

With asbestos, it's a case of better the devil you know. If you know where asbestos is, you can deal with it. You can protect yourself.

Asbestos is not harmful in situ if it remains undamaged and undisturbed. Only when it is damaged can the harmful fibres be released and breathed in, causing potentially fatal lung disease.

So knowing where asbestos materials are in your building is important, to avoid accidental disturbance and to ensure they remain in a good condition or are removed.

Asbestos was used extensively in building materials in the past. At its peak use in the 1950s - 70s, it was used in thousands of building products. Although asbestos was fully banned in 1999, any building built or refurbished before the ban is likely to contain asbestos.

If you are responsible for premises such as a shop, offices, industrial unit, flats or other premises, you have a legal duty to manage asbestos, and there must locate and keep a record of asbestos-containing materials within your building.

Where can you find asbestos? Asbestos can be used in a wide variety of places, here are 40 places you can find asbestos:

Asbestos cement found as:

1. Corrugated roofing
2. Cladding sheets
3. Flat sheets for partitions, cladding and door facings
4. Guttering and downpipes
5. Flue pipes
6. Water storage cisterns and tanks

Asbestos fibres are strong. Asbestos was used in cement products to add strength and reinforce thin asbestos sheets.

Roofing products including:

7. Roofing shingles
8. Roof tiles
9. Asphalt roofing
10. Roofing felt
11. Bitumen

Asbestos has excellent insulation properties and produced strong long-lasting roofing products.

Insulation and sprayed coatings used for:

12. Boilers and plant
13. Lagging to pipework
14. Loft insulation
15. Fire protection to steelwork
16. Thermal and acoustic insulation
17. Friction materials such as brake linings and clutch plates
18. Gaskets and packing in engines, heating and ventilation systems

The insulation properties of asbestos can be used to keep heat in. It can also be used to provide fire and sound insulation. Often used as pipe lagging and loose fill insulation.

Insulation board (AIB) used in the following places:

19. Fire protection to doors
20. Protected exits
21. Steelwork
22. Claddings on walls and ceilings
23. Internal walls and partitions
24. Ceiling tiles
25. Window sills

Asbestos insulating board was often used internally for fire, heat and sound protection.

Composites and others such as:

26. Floor tiles
27. Vinyl tiles
28. Adhesives
29. Asbestos paper linings
30. Toilet cisterns
31. Toilet seats
32. Bath panels
33. Damp-proof sealant
34. Insulating wire

It was also a cheap material. So it was added to a wide variety of products and advertised as strong and long-lasting.

Decorative materials like:

35. Artex
36. Caulking
37. Filler
38. Plaster
39. Textured coatings
40. Paints

Asbestos fibres helped add texture and strength to products like paints, coatings, and artex.

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These are just some of the many places you can find asbestos containing materials. If asbestos is present, it needs to be managed. But you can't tell if a material contains asbestos just from looking at it. You need the right type of asbestos survey to know for sure.

Always check the asbestos survey before carrying out any construction or maintenance work. Disturbing asbestos must be done under strict controls to prevent exposure. Asbestos-containing materials should only be removed or disturbed by trained contractors (who often need to be licensed).

Need an asbestos management plan for your premises? Why not download our asbestos management plan template to get you started.