Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that were chosen for use in construction in the 19th century because of its physical properties; it is strong, light and resistant to heat, electricity and chemicals (which is where its name comes from, the Greek for unquenchable and inextinguishable). This made it the perfect material for building roofs and floors out of, plus it doubled up as a great insulating material because the crystals that make it up are long and fibrous to hold pockets of air.
In the 19th century they didn't test asbestos to see if it was a danger to health before they built thousands of houses with it. Today this poses a massive risk because the remaining asbestos that hasn't been removed is breaking down and releasing razor sharp, poisonous fibres into the air. Some of the diseases that can be caught from inhalation of asbestos fibres include: Lung Cancer, Mesothelioma and Asbestosis. This shows just how much of a problem asbestos can be which is why asbestos removal is such a crucial job.
Asbestos is normally found in: floor tiles, roof sheets, down pipes and guttering, pipe insulation, steel insulation, insulation boards, ceiling tiles and gaskets to name a few, showing how asbestos was, and still could be in anything. With a large danger to the public it is worth paying to get it removed.
Building owners have a legal responsibility to locate and remove all asbestos that poses a health risk to the public or before any major building work/refurbishment as any disturbance would release fibers into the air.
During the Removal of asbestos the team onsite must be wearing full-body protective suits, protective goggles and air filters as any asbestos fibers that come off the boards they handle can get stuck to clothes to harm later and asbestos fibers can also ruin eye sight were they to get into an eye. A license is needed to handle asbestos so if you do find some in a building you must call an asbestos removal company to deal with it for you as it must be handled with specialist knowledge and equipment.