Asbestos Insulation
Asbestos was used as an insulating product because it has a number of unique characteristics, namely;
- It doesn't burn
- It doesn't conduct electricity
- Its chemically inert
- It fibrous and mallable
- Its cheap
These properties make it ideal to use in products which insulate against heat, chemicals, electricity and even sound.
Thermal Insulation
The most likely place to find the more hazardous types of asbestos is around a heat source especially in a boiler room. There are a number of products that you may find lurking. The pipes could be lagged with asbestos paper or a specialised lagging product and are often enclosed by insulation board. The same material, AIB, is often found on the walls around a boiler or tank especially in an airing cupboard.
Within a building itself you may find insulation products around hot water pipe runs. You'll actually find thermal insulation in all sorts of places because its often used as a fireproofer and, in the case of AIB, a general building material.
Chemical Insulation
Asbestos materials were often used in places where you'll find hazardous chemicals. In particular they were used in products such as gaskets, seals and linings. Another common use was in batteries but the rapid advances in technology means they are now rare.
Electrical Insulation
On of the more common uses of asbestos was in electrical insulation products such as cable wrap and flashguards. These materials are still found in abundance to this day in old electrical switchgear and hidden cable runs.
Sonic Insulation
Asbestos was ofetn used for sonic insulation but most of these products have since disappeared. The exception is bitumen sink pads which were stuck to the base of stainless steel sinks in order to reduce the noise made by running water.