Asbestos was used extensively in European buildings for much of the 20th century, and its use peaked roughly between the 1950s and the 1980s. Many countries introduced national bans in the 1980s and 1990s, and since 1 January 2005 asbestos has been banned throughout the European Union. As a result, buildings that were built or renovated before the ban in your country can contain asbestos in a wide range of materials, which is why asbestos is still checked for before renovation work today.
In this article we explain why asbestos became such a popular building material, which types of asbestos were used, how its use changed over the decades and how the construction and renovation history of your building helps you judge where to look for asbestos.
Why did asbestos become so popular?
Asbestos fibres are strong, do not burn and withstand heat and chemicals well. The fibres could easily be mixed into cement, fillers, adhesives and plastics, making the products stronger and more heat-resistant. The word asbestos comes from Greek and means roughly "inextinguishable". Asbestos became an everyday raw material, used in houses, apartment buildings and industry alike.
Asbestos cement products
One of the best-known asbestos products in Europe is asbestos cement, sold in several countries under brand names such as Eternit. Asbestos cement was already being manufactured in the early 20th century, and it was used for roofing sheets, corrugated sheets, facade panels, wall boards, sewage pipes and ventilation ducts, among other things. Asbestos cement was cheap, durable and easy to install, which is why it can still be found on the roofs and facades of many older buildings.
Which types of asbestos were used?
The most common type of asbestos in building materials worldwide was chrysotile, or white asbestos. It was used mainly in asbestos cement, floor coverings, adhesives and fillers. Amphibole asbestos types such as crocidolite (blue asbestos) and amosite (brown asbestos) were also used in sprayed insulation and fire protection. Anthophyllite is another amphibole asbestos, mined and used mainly in Finland. Read more on the page Anthophyllite and in the article Asbestos in nature, which describes how asbestos forms in rock.
The use of asbestos over the decades
The division below is a rough one. The same material may have been used for a long time, and a building can have layers from many different decades.
Early 20th century: heat and fire
The first asbestos products in buildings were used where resistance to heat and fire was needed: asbestos board, insulating compounds, rope and pipe insulation on heating pipes and boilers. Asbestos cement became established early on roofs and facades.
After the Second World War: new surfaces and adhesives
From the middle of the 20th century onwards, asbestos was added to more and more surface materials and adhesives. Floor adhesives, vinyl floor coverings, vinyl floor tiles, tile adhesives, fillers and joint compounds are typical asbestos-containing materials from this period.
1960s and 1970s: the construction boom
A great deal was built across Europe in the 1960s and 1970s. In buildings from these decades, asbestos can be present in many materials at once, for example in floor adhesive, tile adhesive, filler, joint compound, pipe insulation and ventilation ducts. Sprayed insulation and sprayed fire protection were also used in industrial and public buildings.
1980s to 2005: national bans and the EU ban
As the health risks became better known, countries restricted and then banned asbestos at different times, many of them in the 1980s and 1990s. Under Directive 1999/77/EC, the use of all types of asbestos was banned throughout the EU from 1 January 2005. What this means for anyone renovating is explained in the article When was asbestos banned?.
After the ban: the legacy of asbestos in buildings
The bans applied to new asbestos products; materials already installed in buildings did not have to be removed. That is why the history of asbestos is not over. The old materials are still inside walls, floors, ceilings and insulation, and they come to light when buildings are renovated or demolished.
The health effects also appear with a delay, as asbestos-related diseases usually only develop long after exposure. Today's rules therefore aim to establish whether asbestos is present before demolition and to carry out the work safely in line with occupational safety rules. At EU level these are based on Directive 2009/148/EC on the protection of workers from asbestos, which was amended by Directive (EU) 2023/2668 with a lower limit value. The detailed national rules differ, so check with your country's authority.
How does the history of your building help you find asbestos?
If you know when your building was built and when it was renovated, you can estimate which layers date from before the ban. The history shows where it is worth looking for asbestos, but only a sample shows whether your particular material contains asbestos.
- Find out the year of construction, for example from the documents for the property, from the property manager or from the building records held by your local authority.
- Collect information on earlier renovations: when the bathroom, kitchen, floors and facade were renewed.
- Establish which materials and layers the planned renovation will affect. Old adhesive or filler can lie under a new surface.
- Take a sample of each material installed before the ban that you intend to sand, drill or remove. Wear disposable gloves and a respirator of at least class FFP3, moisten the spot, remove a piece of about 2–5 centimetres through all layers, pack it in two bags and label them, cover the spot with tape and wipe the area with a damp cloth.
- Send the samples to the laboratory and wait for the result before you start removing anything.
More detailed instructions are in the article How to take an asbestos sample. Semlab analyses the samples with a JEOL SEM-EDS electron microscope, which identifies all six types of asbestos. You receive the result in English by email on the same day the sample arrives at the laboratory. If asbestos is found, a specialist asbestos removal contractor should carry out the removal.
How much does an asbestos analysis cost?
The analysis costs €49.99 incl. VAT per sample. Postage is not included in the price. You can order the analysis online, pay by card and post the samples to the laboratory in Finland as a letter or small parcel with your national postal service.