What does asbestos look like: what to know, and what to do.

Despite being banned in 1999, asbestos remains in an estimated 1.5 million buildings in the UK and has a lingering risk profile that duty holders are still managing to this day.

With uses as diverse as insulation, electrical isolation, soundproofing and fireproofing, it’s not surprising that it is known to have been used in several thousands of products globally in the last century.

What originally made asbestos so versatile has also made it so ever-present and risky today – as well as challenging to identify without expert help.

That’s why we’ve put together this short visual guide to show you just some of the contexts in which asbestos may be installed in your building – and help you understand exactly why you must rely on expert support to protect occupants, staff and visitors to your building.

What exactly does asbestos look like?

As you might already know, asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous material. Breathing in the airborne fibres that are released when asbestos is disturbed (over a period of many years), brings with it a risk of contracting a respiratory disease, such as mesothelioma.

However, asbestos fibres are between 0-10 nanometres long, meaning you can’t see individual fibres with the naked eye.

This means that when a suspicious material from a building or worksite is sampled for the presence of asbestos, the fibres themselves can only be seen under a microscope.

For example:

Why does this matter?

Practically speaking, as a duty holder information obtained from a sample analysis is critical for completing your asbestos management plan.

As there is no way to identify asbestos fibres by simply looking at (suspected) asbestos-containing material, laboratory testing is needed to identify the presence and type of asbestos in a given sample.

The type of asbestos revealed by a sample analysis, the condition of the material it is present in, and where it is in your building all determine the scale of the risk it presents.

It also influences what actions you must take (and how urgently you take them) to stay compliant and prevent occupants in your building from being exposed to it.

So, what do such asbestos-containing materials look like?

What could asbestos look like in my building?

Given that asbestos has been used in many products throughout the last century, it can take many different forms – some examples include:

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In all of these ‘everyday’ examples, the presence of asbestos is even more difficult to tell. Asbestos is often mixed with other materials (such as plaster), covered up during refurbishment work – or the material has simply deteriorated over time.

Regardless, when disturbed – either by specific contracted work or inadvertently by building occupants – harmful asbestos fibres are released, causing risks that you have a responsibility to minimise.

Remember: there is no ‘hard-and-fast’ rule for determining which materials in your building will contain asbestos – and any suspected asbestos-containing material should be treated as if they do contain asbestos.

To know for sure, you must trust an expert asbestos sample analysis.

What should I do if I suspect that there is asbestos in my building?

Your asbestos management plan should detail every location of asbestos in your building – as well as its type, condition, and remedial measures you intend to take to control the risk it poses.

However, if you suspect that your asbestos management plan is incomplete, you must organise a management survey to ensure that you know where asbestos is in your building and understand your next steps for managing the risk.

If you suspect that a material on a worksite may contain asbestos, you need to stop work and have the material sampled by a professional – which you can easily do by requesting a site visit, or leaving a double-bagged, 50p-sized sample at an AEC Dropbox in London or Manchester.

We hope that this guide has shown you that asbestos exists in many different forms, and how expert support can help you determine the safest, most efficient methods of carrying out your duty to manage its risks.

Your asbestos management plan should be your starting point and your infallible central source of information. If you suspect it is incomplete and that people are at risk, email us, or call us on 0203 384 6175 for advice to help you determine your next course of action.

Photo credits:

Sample of amosite asbestos seen via polarised light microscopy to the Health & Safety Executive (UK).

Amosite asbestos seen under a microscope (20x magnification) to the US Geological Survey, US Department of the interior

Various asbestos-containing materials to the Health & Safety Executive (UK) (Thermoplastic Floor Tiles”, “AIB Soffit”, “Perforated Ceiling Tile”) and the GISF (“Tiled Ceiling”).