How do I know if there is asbestos within the pipes of my property?

As you can imagine, it can be very hard to tell if asbestos-containing materials are present in your home or workplace, or even know if they are in a safe condition to be around. In the last century, hundreds of various items were produced with traces of the material included and they were not deemed hazardous at the time. However, the higher risk products were phased out in 1970s, with the first asbestos prohibition coming in 1985. With various alterations to regulations over the proceeding years, came the UK ban on all asbestos products in 1999. 

Statistics by the HSE show that around 1.5 million buildings throughout the UK contain asbestos products within their initial design. This ranges from wire coating to tiles to roofing and, of course, internal pipe insulation or cement pipes. Unfortunately, there is no clear labelling on all of these products to ascertain whether they contain asbestos or not.

How were they made?

Pipe insulation was typically manufactured using asbestos within the pipe fabrication and wrapping back in the 1960s. It was an excellent electrical insulation solution and compatible with most other materials such as steel pipes and cement.

As a popular insulator, the use of asbestos increased in piping. Although most of those pipes will have reached the end of their safe usable state, there may be some that were installed just before the banning of asbestos that will still occupy your pipes.

Telling signs

If you are looking to renovate or pull down a section of your home or building, a look under your flooring at the piping and plumbing for any sign of a whitish-grey, fibrous coating will give a good indication for potential asbestos content.

In typical residential properties, these types of pipes are rare but they have been known to be located from time to time. Asbestos cement was also used in water piping & boiler flue pipes throughout the last century, so it is worth checking them to be sure. Other areas such as storm water drains, sewage plumbing, gutters and downpipes will also be highly considerable sources of asbestos materials.

In addition to being utilised as a spray-on insulation coating, blue, brown and white asbestos are extremely dangerous to remove and should never be attempted by anyone not certified and trained to deal with it.

Are we in danger?

If you have identified pipe insulation or pipework that looks like it could contain asbestos, you need to contact an  asbestos removal company  and not handle the materials yourself at any point. 

The team at Grosvenor Asbestos Solutions are qualified for asbestos testing and formulating an asbestos management plan so that you can safely work on your construction project without causing any danger.

For an asbestos removal services Contact the team at Grosvenor Asbestos Solutions today.