I have just bought a property. Could it contain ASBESTOS? The HSE helps.

Asbestos may be part of any commercial or domestic building which was built or refurbished before the year 2000. Asbestos can typically still be found in any of the following:

• asbestos cement products (pipes, flues, roofs etc)
• lagging (on pipes and boilers etc)
• water tanks and toilet cisterns
• asbestos insulating board (AIB – which closely resembles typical plasterboard)
• loose asbestos in ceiling and wall cavities
• sprayed coatings on ceilings, walls and beams / columns
• textured decorative coatings (commonly referred to as Artex)
• floor tiles
• textiles and composites

HSE has produced an interactive diagram which illustrates where asbestos may be found. The asbestos image gallery also provides real photographs of typical asbestos-containing materials that can still be found today.