Asbestos in Residential Properties: Most Common Locations

If you have an older home, asbestos may be found in various building materials used in your house, such as paint, insulation and floor tiles. Asbestos is a carcinogenic substance that you should avoid coming into contact with at all costs, so it’s important to be aware of where you may encounter it in your home. Read on to discover where asbestos is most commonly found in residential properties.



Loose fill asbestos

Loose fill asbestos was used to insulate industrial and domestic premises so can be found in between cavity walls, under floorboards and in loft spaces. This is a loose, fluffy insulation material (similar to candy floss), which may be blue-grey or whitish in colour and is also the most dangerous asbestos-containing material. Loose fill is made up of pure asbestos and if disturbed can release large amounts of fibres into the air, where they can be breathed in.

Lagging and insulation

This asbestos is mostly found in or on heating systems such as around boilers or calorifiers and around pipework. This type of asbestos has many different appearances but is mostly a fibrous material which flakes and powders easily. When applied to pipes it is often covered in a protective coating (or painted) which can be any colour, and may make it more difficult to identify. This is one of the most dangerous materials containing asbestos. You are more at risk from breathing in asbestos fibres because disturbance of the lagging or insulation releases fibres very easily into the air that you breathe.

Asbestos Insulating Board (AIB)

Asbestos Insulating Board was commonly used as fireproofing material but it had many other uses such as:

●     partition walls

●     fireproofing panels in fire doors

●     lift shaft linings

●     ceiling tiles

●     soffits

●     panels below windows

AIB is found in normal building items such as wall panels, boards, ceiling tiles and plasterboard. It is very difficult to tell the difference between asbestos insulating board items and non-asbestos materials.

Floor tiles, textiles and composites

In these instances:

●     Asbestos floor tiles were once a popular choice for flooring, and you will often find old asbestos floor tiles hidden under carpets.

●     Textiles can be found in fuse boxes behind the actual fuse.

●     Old fire blankets and heat resistant gloves can also be made out of asbestos textiles.

●     Asbestos composites can be toilet cisterns and seats, window sills, and bath panels.

●     Asbestos paper was used for lining under tiles and inside metal cladding.

If you find asbestos in your home, you’ll need to rely on the help of asbestos services. As one of the leading asbestos removal contractors in all of Scotland, we understand the terror and stress potentially having asbestos can cause and always strive to make the process as simple and easy for you as possible. Get in touch with us today at 01382 237854 or admin@gowriecontracts.co.uk.