Historically, as asbestos only required minimal refining prior to its use in manufacturing, it was a very inexpensive and effective constituent of many products. One of the sectors that utilized asbestos most frequently was the construction industry.

Asbestos was added to building materials to give them strength and fire proofing. As a consequence, virtually all of the buildings constructed prior to 1980 contain some form of an asbestos building product.

The use of asbestos in most products was banned in the early 1970s but some manufacturers that produce products such as brake linings and clutch facings have found no other effective replacement for asbestos.

Asbestos Categories

Friable: products which contain asbestos, that when dry, can easily be crumbled or powdered by hand. Examples of friable products are: mechanical insulation, sprayed insulation (fire resistant, acoustic, thermal, condensation control and decorative millboards).

Non-friable: products where the asbestos is bound in a tight matrix and will not easily shed asbestos fibres under normal day to day use. Examples of non-friable products are: roof shingles, asbestos cement pipes, caulking compounds, floor tiles, joint cements and welding rods.

Other products that may fall in either category, depending on their condition, are textiles and papers. Friable sprayed or trowelled asbestos insulating formulations applied for fire protection, thermal or acoustic insulation were used until 1974.

Mechanical insulation was applied to pipes, boilers, etc. until the late 1970s. Acoustic or decorative finishes that were sprayed or trowelled in place were also applied until the late 1970s.