loose fill asbestos insulation
removal
Loose asbestos cavity insulation is a friable asbestos containing material that was installed within wall cavities, ceiling voids, roof spaces, and floor voids to improve thermal and acoustic insulation. Unlike bonded asbestos products, this material is loose, granular, or fibrous, meaning it can easily become airborne if disturbed. It was commonly used in the UK between the 1940s and late 1970s, particularly in public buildings and some residential properties.
what is loose fill asbestos insulation?
Facts:
Asbestos Type: Amosite (most common)
Crocidolite (very common)
Chrysotile
Colour: Brown, Blue, White
Commonly Found: Wall Cavities, Loft & Roof Voids, Ceiling Voids, Floor Voids in Older Buildings, Pre-Cast Concrete Structures, Industrial & Public Buildings
Popular In: Schools, Hospitals, Council Housing, Office Buildings, Factories, Warehouses, Large Institutional Buildings
Good to know: Loose asbestos cavity insulation is one of the highest risk asbestos materials due to its highly friable nature. It can be easily disturbed during drilling or refurbishment, can spread through hidden voids and cavities, and is difficult to detect without intrusive inspection
Risk: Extremely High
was most commonly used between the 1950s - late 1970s with occasional use in earlier forms. It was mainly used in large or institutional buildings rather than typical modern housing. Some installations were intended to slow fire spread between cavities in large buildings.
Loose fill asbestos insulation was a friable asbestos material used to improve thermal and acoustic performance inside building voids. It is now considered one of the most hazardous asbestos materials found in UK buildings.
Loose Fill Asbestos Insulation
CAN YOU IDENTIFY IT BY SIGHT?
Loose fill insulation is usually not visible and may only be discovered during drilling, renovation work, structural alterations, electrical or plumbing installation. Once disturbed, fibres can migrate through wall voids, ventilation systems, ceiling spaces and floor voids. This makes containment critical.
- Because fibres are loose and easily airborne , even short exposure can be hazardous.
- Airborne fibres can travel through voids.
- Once disturbed, fibres could migrate through electrical sockets, pipe penetrations, ceiling voids and ventilation gaps.
Decorative Textured Coatings was typically used as a loose fill thermal/fire insulation. Amosite is part of the Amphibole asbestos family. It contains straight, needle like fibres and was commonly used in wall cavities, loft spaces and around pipe penetrations and service voids. It usually contains around 60 - 100% asbestos in sprayed coatings.
types of asbestos found in loose fill insulation
Amosite (Brown Asbestos)
was typically found either as a contaminant in loose fill materials (<5%), or as part of mixed fibre insulation products (5% - 30%). Pure loose asbestos fibre insulation can occasionally contain up to 100% chrysotile, though less common in cavity walls than other applications. It has curly, flexible fibres and is part of the Serpentine asbestos family.
Chrysotile (White Asbestos)
was valued for its excellent heat resistance, chemical resistance and tensile strength. It was used where very high heat or fire resistance was required. It is part of the Amphibole asbestos family and its typical content used in mixed loose fill insulation was around 5% - 20%, high performance thermal/fire insulation, sometimes 20% - 60%, and occasionally up to 100% in loose asbestos fibre insulation, though this is rare.
Crocidolite (Blue Asbestos)
What You Should Know
Loose fill asbestos insulation is highly friable, meaning it can release fibres with minimal disturbance. Activities such as drilling, removing panels, loft work, or renovating can increase exposure risk.
Loose fill asbestos insulation is generally considered a licensed asbestos material.
our projects
more projects
coming soon