More About Asbestos

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Asbestos was commonly used as a building material from the early 1900s and was only banned in 1999 due to its carcinogenic properties. Its resistance to heat, fire, chemical and biological degradation meant it was extremely common in building production. The asbestos fibres were typically mixed in with various other building materials such as cement, plastics,  plaster etc to enhance the products resistance and to increase its strength.

However, it was soon learnt that asbestos was a grade 1 carcinogenic, causing conditions such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, pleural plaque and a variety of other respiratory diseases. Eventually, in 1985, the use of amosite and crocidolite asbestos was banned, with chrysotile asbestos banned in 1999.

Common Asbestos Containing Materials:

• Corrugated cement roof sheets
• Asbestos Insulating Board (AIB)
• Textured coating (artex)
• Vinyl floor tiles (and bitumen adhesive)
• Thermal insulation to pipework
• Pipe flange gaskets

There were three main types of asbestos used. These were:

• Chrysotile (white)
• Amosite (brown)
• Crocidolite (blue)

If your building was built before the year 1999, then there’s a good chance it has asbestos containing materials (ACMs).

The Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR 2012) state that the duty holder of a non domestic property must manage the risk of asbestos. In order to manage the risk from asbestos in non-domestic premises, the dutyholder must ensure that a suitable and sufficient assessment is carried out as to whether asbestos is or is liable to be present in the premises.