When you start to think about where asbestos has been used in homes over the years, it can get quite overwhelming, particularly if you live in an older home that you were thinking about renovating. While many people are aware of friable asbestos being used in roofing and wall panelling, there are plenty of places we just don’t consider.
Let’s take a look at some of the more popular places asbestos was used across residential buildings.
Air Conditioning
Asbestos was used within the ducting of air conditioning heating units, specifically around heating elements. It was often used in board form as a lining.
Carpet Underlay
Asbestos was used in carpet underlay in two ways. Firstly, transported asbestos was often in hessian material bags, and these hessian bags used to transport asbestos were then used in the underlay. Secondly, it was used in the glue that was used to adhere underlay that was used for containing asbestos in the flooring. This glue looked like a black, bitumen type material, that you may notice if you are pulling up carpet.
Wardrobes
This inconspicuous area of the home was often lined with fibro sheeting, insulation board or millboard containing asbestos to help increase the fire resistance within the home.
Flooring
So while the underlay and glue of carpet may contain asbestos, there are also plenty of flooring materials that do as well. Some of the most common are fibre cement sheeting and vinyl tiles. Often the asbestos containing material may be hidden under carpet or tiles so it is important to have a pre-demolition survey done before you start any renovations.
Insulation
You may remember all the media around asbestos insulation used in Canberra homes, but that wasn’t the only place where asbestos was used in ceiling and roof cavities as insulation. It was often sprayed into the roof and used to increase the fire resistance to the home. There is an extremely high risk of exposure if this insulation is disturbed.
Soil
An area many don’t consider to have asbestos, but it can be found in your garden due to old building materials contaminating it. Materials such as fencing, walls and bits of old pipe could be responsible for asbestos contaminated soil around your home.
There are many places within your home where asbestos could be present. If you suspect you have asbestos, or you are considering some renovations and would like to have your home tested for asbestos, speak to the friendly and knowledgeable team at Icon Asbestos Removal. We can help with all your asbestos removal requirements, letting you get on with your renovation quicker.
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