COMMON LOCATIONS OF ASBESTOS IN BUILDINGS

ASBESTOS CEMENT (AC)

VERTICAL TILE HANGING To the external walls of low rise buildings

ROOFING TILES Modern AC roofing tiles (eg Eternite) can look exactly like natural slates.

CORRUGATED ROOFING SHEETS Very common, used for houses, industrial buildings, garages and sheds

FLATS SHEETS Used for industrial buildings, garages, sheds, etc.

GUTTERS AND RAINWATER GOODS

EAVES SOFFITS To low rise housing and industrial buildings. Can be pre-formed or made from flat AC sheets cut to size.

INFILL PANELS As outlined in the Section on "Asbestolux". These panels can also be made of AC.

PARTITION WALLS Inside dwellings can also be made of AC.

FALSE WALLS Hiding service ducts, especially in bathrooms (AC is resistant to condensation).

BATTENED CEILINGS In 1920s/1930s semi-detached housing.

PREFABRICATED Flat AC sheets are used in the construction of both the

BUILDINGS "prefabs" of the 1940s and more modern housing and industrial/office buildings.

WATER TANKS AC can be cast to form storage tanks (mainly cold water)

FLUE PIPES From "Ascots" or central heating boilers.

BATH PANELS As above, AC is resistant to condensation.

AIR BRICKS FLOWER BOXES AC can be cast to form relatively complex shapes.

ACCESS PANELS Access panels to service ducts taking rainwater pipes,

FALSE WALLS water pipes, electricity, etc. Sometimes, access panels may be so large as to almost be false walls.

BOXINGS Found around pipes, flues or ventilation ducts.

INFILL PANELS Used to form structural walls between concrete or brick walls eg. usually forming external walls to dwellings.

THERMAL INSULATION The infill panels discussed above may be glass or wood. In there cases, they usually have some kind of thermal insulation in the middle; this is often AIB.

HEATER CUPBOARDS The whole cupboard around gas-fitted warm air boilers ("halcyon" type) may be made of AIB or the cupboard may be brick with the door lined with AIB.

FALSE CEILINGS Usually found in the common areas of estates ie. outside the dwellings. Will often hide electrical or waste services. With the widespread installation of entryphone security systems, many of these corridors are now being enclosed. These "external" ceilings are now internal.

ELECTRIC INTAKE CUPBOARD These cupboards serve a block of dwellings - they often have AIB linings to the doors or other locations.

BIN STORES Because of the fire risk from refuse bins, paladin stores may have AIB linings to doors or to the walls or ceilings.

This is mainly confined to boiler rooms but lagged pipes may go out of the boiler room. Additionally, both hot and cold water services may be lagged with asbestos rope. Any old pipe lagging is suspect.

SPRAYED ASBESTOS

May be used on structural steelwork or be applied to walls and ceilings. Mainly found in Laundries, Launderettes and Boiler Rooms

For more information see our Asbestos Section on our web site, or contact us at Voelcker Consultants