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For practical reasons, the following information is only intended as a general guide to where asbestos may be found in the home. The information is not intended to be exhaustive.
A soft material, vulnerable to damage, used for protecting structural steel work and for insulation. It may be found in a small number of steel-framed houses and in communal areas of flats.
A widely-used material consisting of asbestos bonded into cement. Flat or corrugated sheets are used for garage and shed roofs and walls. Moulded asbestos cement was used for coldwater tanks, external rainwater pipes, guttering, decking and roofing tiles, lining under eaves and flue pipes. Asbestos cement may be held in place with screws or bolts.
A variety of types of asbestos materials have been used for insulating pipes and boilers. Asbestos lagging is unlikely to be found in modern houses, but was sometimes used in flats or older houses. A preliminary inspection for asbestos should be made before the repair or removal of older central heating systems.
A sheet material softer then asbestos cement, it was used for fire protection, heat insulation, ceiling tiles and as a building board e.g. partitions and lofts.
Some plastic floor tiles, cushion flooring, WC cisterns, roofing, felts, tapes, ropes, textured plasters and paints contain a small percentage of asbestos.
Simmering pads, oven gloves and fire blankets were sometimes made of asbestos. Ovens, ironing boards and heaters may also have asbestos components.
Asbestos insulation blocks, insulating board and asbestos paper have been used in some warm air heating systems. Asbestos insulating board and asbestos cement were sometimes used to line heater cupboards and ducting. Some electrical storage heaters made before 1976 also contain asbestos.
Further enquiries - please contact our Asbestos team on 0300 123 3456
Download - 'A guide to asbestos in your home' [PDF]