Asbestos Products

Asbestos products have been used for hundreds of years but, it wasn't until the end of the 19th century that their use started to become commonplace. As asbestos and its characteristics became better known, so more and more products were developed and manufactured. Its diversity meant that soon asbestos containing materials (ACM) could be found in homes, factories and transport throughout the British Empire.

Asbestos was hailed as a wonder product because it was cheap and abundant and by the 1930s it was being used on most construction sites and (ironically) often for health and safety solutions such as fireproofing.

Uses include insulation, fireproofing, soundproofing, strengthening, channelling, construction, friction lining and chemical resistance. The most common use is cement board but this is just the tip of the iceberg. You may also find it under metal sinks, in toilet cisterns, around baths, in roof tiles and felts, on car brakes, in pipe gaskets, in lino and plastic floor tiles, in electrical fuses and wiring and under floorboards to name just a few.

After World War II

During the second world war many buildings in the UK were destroyed by bombing and there was a need to rebuild these cheaply and quickly. Asbestos products were used extensively during this reconconstruction phase precisely for these reasons. And so, asbestos mining and production was increased and it became cheaper.

Almost all government buildings and social housing constructed in the twenty years after the war contained ACM and this is where a large percentage of it can be found today.

Asbestos at the end of the 20th Century

Manufacture and use of asbestos products peaked in the 70s. Although the dangers of asbestos exposure had been suspected for some time, it was only now that the death toll could no longer be ignored and manufacturers agreed to pose a voluntary ban on Crocidolite asbestos.

In 1986 the government made the ban official and added all other amphibole asbestos types. However, the use of Chrysotile was still legal and still extensive. Campaigners continued to lobby for a ban and use started to drop off until Chrysotile was also banned at the end of 1999.

Asbestos in the 21st century

Almost all asbestos products are banned in the UK but many still remain in-situ. Asbestos cement roofs are still commonplace and this is likely to continue for sometime. Gradually however, asbestos materials are being removed especially from non-domestic properties. It is rarer to find the higher risk products that contain blue and brown asbestos mainly because many buildings have been reconstructed or refurbished since the ban in 1986.

The cost of remediating and removing asbestos from hospitals and other large public buildings is often several million pounds but gradually it is disappearing. That said several million tonnes still remain and it will be sometime before we are rid of the UK's biggest industrial killer.

Need to get asbestos removed or get a suspect material analysed? You can fill out our 'Need a quote' form and get a price from a licensed removal company.