Asbestos use in England dates back as far as the 1700s, it had a wide spread use within the industrial revolution and wasn’t outlawed completely in the UK until 1999. As a result, it is common to see asbestos in a number of home environments. As the number of people making an asbestosis compensation claim increases every year, it is important to be aware of the dangers within your own home to locate any in your home and get a professional asbestos removal service to clear it out.
Check the Loft
Asbestos was widely used as an insulating material and came in the form of a grey, blue or white, fluffy insulator. Looking a little bit like Candyfloss this is one of the most dangerous forms as it is almost pure asbestos. Usually found along walls, beams and flooring it is important not to disturb it and call professionals if you think you have found it, as it has the potential to release large amounts of fibres into the air.
Look under the Carpets
Tending to be within industrial buildings and within pre 1970’s homes, Asbestos floor tiles were put down as an insulating and fire resistant layer in a lot of homes. The tiles tend to look quite dated and were mixed with other materials to form a useable textile. Asbestos paper was also used under tiles as a lining and is something else to be aware of on removal.
The Walls and Ceilings
Asbestos Insulating Board became a commonly used fireproofing material and was used in the construction of things like partition walls, ceiling tiles and plasterboard. This is one of the most difficult forms of asbestos to identify, however you can often get a feel for how old the materials are from their look and if there are any trade names that you can see, you should be able to research them online.
Asbestos can be anywhere, it had widespread uses as an insulating material. But by keeping aware of the dangers of Asbestos when doing DIY and renovating older properties, it will help you to identify the problems quickly. For many people they didn’t have the benefit of the knowledge we have now on this dangerous material and as the years go on awareness of the issue decreases. Special companies will deal in the legalities of asbestos and have specialists that deal with the medical problems caused from over-exposure.
