What Are The Different Types Of Asbestos?

What Are The Different Types Of Asbestos?

A Simple Guide To Asbestos Removal And What To Expect:

If you are interested in asbestos removal, we wanted to cover some of the main questions that we get around removal.

If you are just interested in a quote, you can click here and contact us as we serve the Northampton and Oxford areas.

Read on below for some of the top questions around asbestos removal:

Where Do You Find Asbestos?

You will normally find asbestos in roofs and even the side of buildings.

This is why a popular job to carry out is as asbestos garage roof removal.

You will also find asbestos on reinforced concrete beams and floors.

How To Tell If It Is Asbestos?

This can be very tricky to do unless you know what you are looking for. You will normally find that it is white or grey in colour and has a rough surface. It can be very difficult to tell a garage roof compared to an asbestos garage roof, so it is best to get a survey if you want to find out whether you have asbestos.

This is very important on a commercial project as you will need to remove asbestos to stay within the law.

Can You Leave Asbestos Alone?

Unfortunately, not! It can be very dangerous to leave asbestos, the main reason being is that even a minor disturbance can release large quantities of fibres into the air that can be breathed in. This can create serious illness in the future.

What Are The Different Types Of Asbestos?

You can find asbestos in a number of building materials:

Asbestos Cement:

This is cement that has been mixed with asbestos and you will normally find this in roofing especially garages and sheds.

You can also find that asbestos cement can be found in wall cladding and even in downpipes and gutters.

Another area where this is commonly used are drainage pipes.

The problem is that asbestos cement will look very much like cement, however the asbestos content can be high and dangerous. You are normally finding that this is a great material that has been compressed to look like cement.

Loose Fill Asbestos:

This is used to insulate, and you will normally find that this is between cavity walls and underneath floorboards.

This is the material that you find in lofts that looks very similar to candy floss.

Bear in mind, this is a very dangerous asbestos material, and it can be made up of pure asbestos and those fibres can escape into the air where they can be breathed in.

In order to get rid of loose-fill asbestos you will definitely want to have licensed professionals to make sure that all of it gets removed and that it is not made worse while removing.

Insulation Asbestos:

You will normally find this around heating systems such as boilers and pipework. This can be difficult to identify as most of the time it also has a protective coating.

Floor Tiles:

You can even find asbestos contained in floor tiles, as these were a popular choice for flooring, and you may find it is very hard to locate because it is not too different to what is used now.

The good news is that if you can locate the make of floor tile it may be easy to tell whether you have asbestos. Most of the time this is quite easy to remove as well.

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Wall Coatings:

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You can also find that asbestos has been used in wall coatings and this can be very hard to locate as well because it may have been painted over.

The above will give you the most common types of asbestos that you will encounter and the locations. Whether you are residential or a commercial property you definitely want to check the above to make sure that you have everything in line and safe from asbestos.

How Does Asbestos Removal Work?

If you need help with asbestos removal, we highly recommend using a professional service like ourselves here at Asbestos Northampton. The problem with trying to remove asbestos yourself is that you can end up releasing the harmful asbestos fibres into the air and that will lead to them causing damage which is what you are trying to avoid.

As we had a look at above asbestos containing materials or (ACM’s) for short can come in many different versions so it is highly recommended to get yourself an asbestos survey and a free quote. This is where we are able to check your property and ascertain the presence of asbestos.

The reason that asbestos needs to be removed is that if it is left undisturbed then it poses very little risk. The moment that is disturbed the microscopic fibres can be released into the air and if they are breathed in, they can cause serious diseases.

This is why asbestos removal should be carried out by professionals with the necessary steps and equipment to minimise the risk. You will also find that removal of asbestos is governed through strict regulation by the health and safety executive.

What To Do Next?

If you need help with asbestos removal or you are just trying to figure out whether you have asbestos present. Contact us today for a free quote where we are able to help with a professional service.

We hope this is answered some of your questions around the different types of asbestos and what is involved in asbestos removal as well is why you should get a professional in to do the work. The other reason is the removal of asbestos itself and the disposing of asbestos needs to be carried out within the law.

You can also read this guide for advice on what to do if you have asbestos in your home.

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