Asbestos may be part of any commercial or domestic building which was built or refurbished before the year 2000. Asbestos can typically still be found in any of the following:
- asbestos cement products (pipes, flues, roofs etc)
- lagging (on pipes and boilers etc)
- water tanks and toilet cisterns
- asbestos insulating board (AIB – which closely resembles typical plasterboard)
- loose asbestos in ceiling and wall cavities
- sprayed coatings on ceilings, walls and beams / columns
- textured decorative coatings (commonly referred to as Artex)
- floor tiles
- textiles and composites
HSE has produced an handy diagram which illustrates where asbestos may be found.
The asbestos image gallery also provides real photographs of typical asbestos-containing materials that can still be found today.