Use of asbestos in building

Asbestos used to be used a lot in the building industry in the ninetieth century and the twentieth. It was only banned by the European Union in the eighties.
While a lot of asbestos surveys have been carried out in various building over the years by asbestos consultants and management companies, the mineral can still be found in some buildings.

Below is a list of places where you will most likely find asbestos.
One of the most common uses of asbestos was in cement. So there will be no surprise that you will find the dangerous mineral in drainage and rainwater pipes but also steam pipes, high pressure water pipes and water tanks. Apparently, the amount of asbestos used is around ten to fifteen percents.

Some materials were being made with more asbestos than others. Some gaskets for example may contain around seventy percents of asbestos. Some other products can contain even more like cloths and textiles used as fire blankets, fireproof clothing or oven gloves where the amount of chrysolite, which is also known as white asbestos, is between sixty five and one hundred percents. The same applies for sprayed coatings used for fire protection.
Asbestos is actually a very good material when it comes to insulation and as a fire retardant, which is why it was so widely used in buildings.
When it comes to insulation boards used for thermal insulation and fire retardation, you may find that the materials contain between twenty and forty percents of asbestos which is usually amosite. This type of asbestos is the most commonly used as a fire retardant or for insulation. 
It is interesting to see that what we call asbestos is not just one mineral but six. Each mineral was actually used for a different purpose, but one of the things they have in common is that they can be harmful to human beings if any powder or dust goes to the lungs.

Other types of products that can include asbestos also are paints and surface covering products. Thankfully, those will only include around four percents of asbestos.

It is best to contact asbestos consultants if you think that there is asbestos in your building. It is important to keep in mind that you should not disturb the material if you think it contains asbestos as you could inhale the dust and that could severely damage your lungs and put your life at risk.