The toxic, fireproof, insulating material, which was banned in the 1990s exists in a variety of forms including; cement, floor tiles, insulating coatings, lagging and loose. Many buildings build before it was banned can still contain at least one form of asbestos as it is sometimes too expensive and too difficult to remove which meant it was left behind.

Cement containing asbestos can come in the form of roofing, cladding and guttering. The most common is corrugated cement roofing often found on farm buildings, warehouses and some sheds. This would be considered the safest form of asbestos as it is held tightly within the concrete and can only be released by being sawed or drilled.

Textured and sprayed asbestos was used to cover many internal walls and ceilings in lofts and often living spaces but while the textured coating is generally considered quite safe the sprayed coating is very unstable and can release large quantities of toxins into the air if disturbed.

Asbestos floor tiles were often used when insulating floor surfaces underneath carpeting or laminate flooring. A similar version of the material was even used in fire blankets and oven gloves. It is generally quite safe but still considered a risk and should not be handled or worked with.

Asbestos insulating board (AIB) was quite commonly used in partition walls, lift shafts, roof linings and fire doors. Large quantities of this can still be found in many buildings built from the 1950s onwards and it is considered very dangerous to work with and only handled by a full licensed contractor.

Many cavities, pipes and boilers are filled and coated with loose fill and lagging asbestos. These are both considered very hazardous and should not be worked with or exposed to anyone other than a trained contractor. Exposure to any of the toxic fibres released can cause damaging respiratory problems and eventually cause a form of cancer known as Mesothelioma.

Want advice on asbestos in buildings then visit the ‘whats-my-claim-worth’ site to find out if you canmake a claim for asbestos exposure.