Asbestos has become a bit of a naughty word that gets whispered every time pre-2000s homes or businesses undergo renovations or get put up for sale. It’s the elephant in the room – the very dangerous elephant that no one expects to be rampaging behind the walls of their seemingly ordinary abode or place of work.

While it’s often spoken about, and asbestos removal experts are commonly called upon to address it, does anyone actually know what it looks like? Read on to find out what asbestos looks like in its natural form, your home, business, and body.

In its natural form

Asbestos is not a single thing with one distinct look. Instead, it’s the name for six silicate minerals that occur naturally in the earth. At a distance, asbestos looks like shiny rocks. However, up close, it consists of long, thin fibrous crystals – with each crystal laden with fibrils that can be released into the atmosphere.

Asbestos can be split into two “groups,” which outline their use and makeup. Serpentine, known as white asbestos or chrysotile, is the most commonly used. It makes up around 95 per cent of asbestos products found in the United States.

The amphibole group of asbestos consists of brown and blue – amosite and crocidolite. This group of asbestos products was used in insulation and cement sheets and was banned in the Western world by the mid-1980s.

In your home

Asbestos, in rock form, is not all that easy to work with, which is why you won’t find piles of minerals in your home to alert you to its presence. Instead, the asbestos minerals were manufactured into building products, insulation, and similar, all to provide various benefits like insulation and fireproofing.

You may be surprised to learn that asbestos looks like everyday products, which is what makes it even more deadly. You may not even know you’ve been exposed to it until it can show itself in medical conditions years later.

Homes built between 1930 and 1950 may have insulation made from asbestos. It may also be present in textured paint, roofing shingles, cement sheets, floor tiles, lino, heat sources like gas-fired fireplaces and oil and coal furnaces, and even hot water pipes.

The risk of exposure can depend on the year your home was built, so don’t delay in calling an asbestos removal expert to find out if your property may contain it.

Any unrenovated homes from before 1940 are unlikely to contain it, but homes from 1950 until pre-2000 can. Fortunately, the existence of asbestos in your home isn’t as awful as it might sound. If it remains undamaged and undisturbed, it’s unlikely to pose a health risk.

In your business

The location of asbestos in a commercial building can differ from that of a residential one. However, the same rules apply. What does asbestos look like in a commercial building? Like any other building material. Once again, a removal expert can test and take samples to establish the risk (if any).

Asbestos doesn’t hold a big neon sign and say: “I am here”. It appears discretely in interior and exterior walls, the middle of fire doors, lino flooring, roofing materials, hot water tanks, lift shafts, water pipes, electrical fuse boards, gutters, window and door frames, the list goes on.

If you or the building owner is about to undertake renovations and asbestos is suspected, then don’t delay in hiring an expert team for an assessment. WorkSafe put strict protocols in place to ensure the detection and removal process is only undertaken by experts with certification and an asbestos removal plan.

In your body

The year 1906 marked the first documented death in the UK relating to asbestos exposure. That came on the back of several early deaths and lung problems in US towns known for asbestos mining. From that point on, more and more information came to light on the dangers of asbestos, but it would take over seven decades for mining to cease and for countries to ban its use.

So, what does it do to you?

Asbestos increases the risk of every type of lung cancer and is also directly responsible for three types of cancer. The small fibres that are released into the air cause lung tissue scarring called asbestosis, lining tissue cancer known as mesothelioma, and a multitude of different lung-related problems.

Long-term exposure can lead to significant health problems 10-40 years after the fact, and in the case of cancer, the outcome is grim. There is no cure for asbestos-related cancers, and even those with second-hand exposure – such as through hugging parents who have been exposed, are not exempt from the risk.

A chest X-ray and CT scan often diagnose asbestosis or a related lung condition, and treatment is based on that diagnosis. Some lung conditions can be managed, but none can be cured.

Asbestos looks like a job for the experts

If you want to know what asbestos looks like, then it looks like a job for the experts. Before you undertake renovations or repairs to a home or business that you believe contains contaminated building materials, make a phone call to someone who can help. Asbestos removal experts are available throughout the country to provide testing, removal, and containment services.