HSE says any building built or refurbished before 2000 could contain asbestos (HSE). It was used because it is strong, cheap and fire resistant. Asbestos is only a risk to health when it is damaged or disturbed and fibres get into the air.
Outside the home
- Garage and shed roofs – corrugated asbestos cement sheets.
- Soffits and fascias – asbestos cement or insulating board.
- Gutters, downpipes and flues – asbestos cement.
Inside the home
- Textured coatings such as Artex on walls and ceilings.
- Floor tiles – vinyl or thermoplastic tiles and adhesive.
- Pipe lagging and boiler insulation.
- Asbestos insulating board (AIB) – around boilers, behind fires, in ceiling tiles, partition walls and fire doors.
- Water tanks in the loft.
- Toilet cisterns and seats.
- Loose-fill insulation in lofts or wall cavities.
Higher and lower risk materials
Materials like pipe lagging, sprayed coatings, loose fill and insulating board release fibres more easily and HSE says work on them normally needs a licensed contractor. Asbestos cement and textured coatings are lower risk but must still be handled correctly (HSE Asbestos Essentials).