Asbestos can exist in a variety of forms in a building; cement, coatings, floor tiles, insulating, lagging and loose. Many buildings build before 1999 will contain at least one form of asbestos as it was often too expensive or too difficult to extract.

Asbestos filled cement can often be found in the form of guttering, wall cladding and roofing. It is most commonly used for corrugated cement roofing which can be found on old farm buildings, warehouses and on some private sheds and garages.

Plenty of ceilings and walls were coated in asbestos by either spraying or a textured coating, this existed in lofts, living spaces and around beams. Textured coatings are often quite stable but sprayed coatings have the highest asbestos content so even a small disturbance could release vast quantities into the air.

Asbestos tiles were commonly used in insulating floor surfaces underneath carpet or laminate flooring. Sometimes similar density asbestos was used in fireproof blankets and even oven mitts. Although not as dangerous as other forms of asbestos it is still advised to use caution and consult guidelines before working with it.

Fireproofing with asbestos insulating board (AIB) was quite common and this often existed in partition walls, fire doors, lift shafts and roof lining. Large quantities of this can be found in many buildings from the 50s-90s and it is considered very dangerous to work with. It should be handled by a fully licensed contractor.

Loose fill and lagging asbestos are considered the most dangerous forms of the material and are often found in cavities and wrapped around pipes and boilers. Both of these are the most dangerous and should only be handled by a professional as they can easily release toxins into the air.

Want to find out more about asbestos in buildings, then visit the ‘whats-my-claim-worth’ site for advice on making a claim for asbestos exposure.