When was asbestos used in homes in the UK?

The story of asbestos may largely seem to be a 20th-century one – a UK ban on all forms of asbestos having been imposed more than a quarter of a century ago, in 1999. However, this carcinogenic substance is unfortunately not of merely “historical” relevance.

To this day, this fibrous mineral – once regarded as a “wonder material” due to such qualities as its physical strength, flexibility, and heat resistance – is still present in many domestic properties up and down the UK.

You might be reading this because of your own concerns about asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) potentially being present in your home, and uncertainty about the implications.

So, in this article, we will delve deeper into the topic of asbestos in UK homes, addressing the factors you should be aware of, as the elements that shouldn’t so greatly concern you.

Why is understanding asbestos use in homes important?

It is often said that “knowledge is power”, and knowing a few things about the history of asbestos can certainly help you take powerful steps to protect yourself. Such awareness will also enable you to separate the facts from the myths when it comes to asbestos.

Before we go further, let’s state one important point: the mere existence of ACMs in your residential building, if this turns out to be the case, does not automatically mean they pose a health risk.

ACMs that are in good condition and that are unlikely to be disturbed are believed to present negligible risks to health. This is partly why such materials are often left in place, instead of being removed from a property.

If, on the other hand, ACMs are in poor or deteriorating condition, and/or they are in a part of the given property where future disturbance is likely, this can raise strong reason for concern. Such damaged or bad-condition ACMs may release loose asbestos fibres, which could be inhaled by someone nearby.

Exposure to asbestos fibres can bring a heightened risk of the affected individual developing a potentially fatal asbestos-related health condition, such as mesothelioma or asbestos-related lung cancer, in later life.

Fortunately, by making yourself aware of the asbestos situation in your home and taking the actions that may be necessary, you can greatly help minimise such risks.

When was asbestos commonly used in homes?

Although asbestos was used in the construction of residential buildings in the UK for nearly the entire 20th century, the era in which your own property was built could make a big difference to the asbestos situation there:

• The early 1900s to the 1940s

  Asbestos was first commercially mined in the mid-19th century, and this era saw its initial use in UK construction, focused on insulation and fireproofing. Even as early as the 1890s, though, doctors were drawing a link between the inhalation of asbestos dust and later health problems.

• The early 1950s to the 1980s

  These decades saw asbestos reach its peak level of usage in the UK construction sector, with the mineral being incorporated into various building materials. However, by the 1970s, public awareness of the health risks of asbestos was increasing.

  From around the mid-1980s, there was a big drop in the use of asbestos in the UK, the importation of crocidolite (“blue”) and amosite (“brown”) asbestos into the country having been banned in 1985.

• The 1990s

  The continued decline of asbestos use in UK construction was accelerated by ever-more stringent legislation on how the substance was permitted to be used. Indeed, such was the extent of asbestos having fallen out of fashion by this time, any properties today that were constructed after 1990 are unlikely to contain asbestos.

  With chrysotile (“white”) asbestos having been considered less hazardous than other types of the mineral, it wasn’t finally banned in the UK until November 1999.

  In summary, then, with the use of asbestos in UK construction having particularly picked up from the 1960s onwards, it is homes dating between the 1960s and the mid-1980s that are likeliest to contain ACMs.

  By contrast, if your residential building was constructed after the year 2000, it should not have any traces of asbestos.

What was asbestos used for in residential properties?

With the legal period of use for the mineral having seen thousands of asbestos-containing products produced, the substance was applied in many different ways around UK homes.

These uses included for:

• Insulation in walls, ceilings, and pipes. This took such forms as asbestos insulating board (AIB), loose-fill insulation, and sprayed coatings, making the most of the mineral’s heat and sound insulation qualities.
• Textured decorative coatings – commonly referred to as “Artex”, although many similar products were manufactured that did not carry the Artex brand.
• Roofing materials such as asbestos cement sheeting, asbestos cement tiles, asbestos felt, and materials for fascias, downpipes, and guttering.
• Floor tiles in a variety of styles, commonly consisting of asbestos bonded with other materials such as asphalt and vinyl.
• Cement products used in garages, soffits, and sheds. Asbestos cement products came in such forms as roofing sheets, wall cladding, and cement flue pipes.

Asbestos was relatively affordable, easy to obtain, durable, and fire-resistant. So, it should perhaps be no great surprise that the mineral was very widely adopted before greater awareness of the health risks led to the UK Government clamping down on its use.

How can I know if asbestos was used in my property?

An important principle to be aware of is that you cannot definitively determine whether a particular item in your property does or does not contain asbestos, unless you have it professionally tested and analysed.

This is largely because asbestos-containing versions of products can often be barely visually distinguishable from their non-asbestos-containing counterparts.

Consider, for example, Artex; a non-asbestos-containing version of this coating became available in 1976, and was produced alongside the asbestos-containing variant until the latter’s discontinuation in 1984. But even the asbestos version of Artex only tended to comprise around 1% to 4% asbestos – so, you cannot depend on sight alone to tell between the two.

Before you go as far as requesting a professional asbestos inspection, though, it is worth taking the following steps to help you figure out the likely asbestos situation in your home:

• Find out when your home was constructed

  As we referenced above, homes built after 2000 should be entirely asbestos-free. Older properties, though, may still contain ACMs, with this likelihood being particularly great for mid-century homes.

• Familiarise yourself with the typical locations of asbestos in a residential building

  Asbestos was commonly used in a wide range of areas within UK homes. These encompass the likes of the roof, loft void, airing cupboards, windows, doors, and – of course – the walls and ceilings, on which textured decorative coatings may have been applied.

• Learn the visual signs of potential ACMs

  It can be well worth consulting our guide to what various asbestos-containing products tend to look like, and how you can begin narrowing down the products around your home that are likely to contain asbestos.

  If you see the distinctive textured surface of Artex, for instance, this might contain asbestos (although as we mentioned above, non-asbestos-containing versions of Artex exist).

  If there is any especially aged-looking insulation in your property, this, too, might – but will not necessarily – consist of asbestos.

A quick introduction to the UK’s asbestos survey types

To reiterate: there are definite limitations to visual identification when you are on the lookout for asbestos-containing materials in your residential property.

So, to determine the true asbestos situation at your home, you might arrange an asbestos survey, such as:

• A management survey, which is the type of survey designed to assist with the management of ACMs during a building’s normal occupation and use.
• A refurbishment or demolition survey, which is much more intrusive and destructive than a management survey. This type of survey is typically only requested prior to major disruptive work, such as refurbishment or demolition, happening at the given site.

To learn more about asbestos surveys and their potential relevance to your building and circumstances, please consult our guide to how asbestos surveys work, or the main asbestos surveys section of our website. You can, of course, also contact us with any queries.

What should I do if I suspect my home might contain asbestos?

Much of the advice that you will find online on what to do if asbestos is discovered, is aimed at dutyholders and commercial entities that have responsibility for non-domestic premises.

The situation is slightly different if you believe your own home might contain ACMs. So, if this is the case for you, we would advise the following courses of action:

• Do not disturb any suspected ACMs, to minimise the likelihood of dangerous asbestos fibres being released into the air.
• Seek advice from your local council. By having a conversation with an environmental health officer at your local authority, you can ensure you are taking well-informed steps to safely manage any asbestos in your home.
• Commission an asbestos survey if you are unsure about the exact asbestos situation at your residential property.
• Create an asbestos management plan (AMP) if you find intact products in your building that you subsequently confirm to be ACMs.
• Hire licensed professionals to remove the asbestos if necessary. If you have not been trained for non-licensed asbestos work, you should not attempt to remove or repair any asbestos materials yourself.

To reaffirm a statement we made earlier: asbestos simply being present in your home doesn’t automatically mean they pose a risk to your health. This means it is not always necessary to remove ACMs from a home. Indeed, attempting to remove certain ACMs may bring new risks, which is one more reason to consult a qualified professional for tailored advice.

Conclusion: how can understanding asbestos use help you manage concerns?

Whatever you do about your suspicions of ACMs being present in your home, it is of the utmost importance to only act based on facts and evidence, rather than fear.

Hopefully, this article will have helped alleviate some of your fears, and you will now feel more familiar with the timeline of asbestos use in UK homes which, in turn, will allow you to assess the risks more effectively.

By taking proactive steps such as identifying construction dates, seeking professional help, and managing ACMs responsibly, you can greatly mitigate risks and address concerns.

To find out more about our asbestos management services at Oracle Solutions, and to ask for a free and competitive quote, please reach out to our skilled and experienced team today.