Where Is Asbestos Found?
More than 3,000 products in use today contain asbestos. In some cases the manufacturer of a product must be contacted to learn if it contains asbestos. However, many companies in the past did not monitor if or how much asbestos was in their products. The product may need to be taken to a lab for analysis.
Some products to consider as hazardous are:
- Toasters and other household appliances
- Hair dryers
- Pot holders and ironing board pads
- Brake pads and linings
- Construction products
The list of construction products that contain asbestos is extensive. Some construction products that should be handled with care are:
- Building exteriors
- asbestos cement siding panels – flat, corrugated, shingles or accent panels
- asbestos cement soffits – flat or perforated panels
- asbestos cement roof panels – corrugated
- roofing felts and mastics
- building overhangs – thermal spray
- stucco
- brick and block mortar
- loose fill insulation in exterior wall cavities (vermiculite)
- roofing materials
- Flooring
- vinyl asbestos tile
- carpet underlays
- sheet vinyl flooring (asbestos paper backing)
- floor leveling compound
- Ceilings
- t-bar ceiling tile
- asbestos cement ceiling tile
- acoustic and stippled finishes
- plaster or drywall jointing materials
- wall and ceiling panels
- pipe and duct insulation
- building insulation
- Walls
- plaster or drywall jointing materials
- stippled finishes
- thermal spray
- asbestos cement panels
- Service Areas
- insulation in boiler rooms – boilers, vessels, pipes, ducts, incinerators, floors, ceilings, walls
- fan rooms – insulation of pipes, ducts, chillers, floors, ceilings, walls
- machine rooms – insulation on pipes, ducts, floors, ceilings, walls
- crawl spaces – insulation on pipes, ducts
- wall cavities, insulation above ceiling spaces – pipe and duct chases, pipes, ducts
- Pipes (insulation on either exposed or concealed pipes)
- steam and hot water heating supply and return lines
- domestic water supply and drain lines
- chilled water lines
- rain water and sanitary lines – asbestos cement or bell and spigot cast iron, insulated or bare pipe
- gaskets in flanged pipe joints
- Structural
- fireproofing spray on beams, decks, joints, columns and other structural members
- Miscellaneous
- incandescent light fixture backing
- wire insulation
- fume hoods – internal linings and exhaust ducts
- lab counters
- elevator brake shoes
- heating cabinet panels (asbestos cement)
- fire dampers and fire stop flaps
- diffuser backplaster
- emergency generators – thermal insulation and exhaust manifolds
- firestopping
- theater curtains
- welding blankets and screens
- incinerators – internal insulation
- cooling towers – panels and fill
- duct tape
- duct expansion/vibration isolation joints
- artificial fireplaces and materials
- furnaces and other furnace door gaskets
- patching and spackling compounds
- electrical wires
- textured paints
- cements
Building products containing asbestos in an unbound or loosely bound form:
- insulating cements
- sprayed insulation – fire resistant, acoustic, thermal, condensation control
- insulation block – magnesia or calcium silicate
- textiles – for lagging, curtains or clothing
(List reproduced from the Alberta Asbestos Abatement Manual (pdf - 1.15 MB), August 2001)
