| Asbestos Containing Materials |
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ASBESTOS
Asbestos is a generic term used to describe a group of fibrous varieties of a number of silicate minerals.
Asbestos was used in over three thousand different products mostly used in the building trade, below are just some examples of the materials most likely to contain asbestos.
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SPRAYED COATING
Thermal and anti-condensation insulation on underside of roofs and sometimes sides of industrial buildings, fire protection on steel beams reinforced concrete beams / columns and on underside of floors, over spray of target area was common.
Loose asbestos may readily become airborne. If dry, these materials can give rise to potential exposure of high fibre release.
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THERMAL INSULATION
Thermal insulation was used on pipe runs: boilers: pressure vessels: and calorifiers etc all types of asbestos have been used in these materials.
The two most common applications were; hand applied and pre-made sections.
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INSULATION BOARD & MILL BOARD
Asbestos Insulation Board was widely used for fire protection, thermal and acoustic insulation. Some examples of where it was commonly used was in service ducts, firebreaks, infill panels, partition walls, door linings, ceiling boards/tiles, wall linings, cladding, soffit and fascia boards, etc.
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ASBESTOS CEMENT
Cement products were used for roofing, wall cladding, permanent shuttering, cooling elements, ceilings, soffits and fascia's, wastewater gutter and down pipes, boiler flues, bath panels, It was widely used to make pre-formed products, (e.g. windowsills, electrical equipment, planter boxes and pots, switchboard linings, shower recesses, the old red phone box dome roof, and water tanks, the list goes on).
Cement products may seem strong but if worked on with; power tools, cleaned with abrasive brushes or exposed to acid (which breaks down the cement matrix), this will lead to fibre release.
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WOVEN TEXTILES
Ropes, yarns, cloth, and string, were commonplace, Crocidolite and Chrysotile were widely used due to length and flexibility of fibres.
Commonly used for flash guard in fuse boxes, rope gaskets to boilers and flue pipes, gloves and other garments, fire blankets, other types of asbestos have been used in the past.
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OTHER ASBESTOS PRODUCTS
Asbestos was used in over 3,000 different products mostly used in the building trade, roofing felt, textured coatings to ceilings and walls, bitumen coatings, PVC flooring, reinforced plastics use as table tops, resin based pads to under side of sink, etc.
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| Generally fibres are well contained in the matrix but age and wear will cause damage to these products, which may result in fibre release.
A well maintained, comprehensive asbestos register gives a central source of information about asbestos materials within the premises; the register also gives information on Health and Safety.
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