Before delving into asbestos surveys and their importance, let's first define asbestos and its types.

Asbestos is a group of six naturally occurring minerals whose fibers have high tensile strength, flexibility, and resistance to heat, electricity, and chemical damage.

There are two broad types of asbestos, according to their fiber characteristics:

• Serpentine asbestos: comprises a single mineral, chrysotile or white asbestos, whose fibers are curly and soft compared to other asbestos types.
• Amphibole asbestos: encompasses five minerals whose fibers are straight, brittle, and needle-like. These are crocidolite or blue asbestos, amosite or brown asbestos, tremolite, actinolite, and anthophyllite.

Both asbestos types can cause cancer and lung diseases, but amphibole asbestos is more potent and friable, meaning that its fibers can break easily and become airborne, posing a higher risk of inhalation.

Asbestos was widely used in the construction industry from the 1950s to the 1980s, particularly in insulation, roofing, flooring, ceiling tiles, cement sheets, pipe lagging, fire doors, and electrical components. Inhaling or ingesting asbestos fibers can lead to serious health problems, and the symptoms can take years, even decades, to manifest.

That's why it's crucial to have your building surveyed for asbestos, especially if it was constructed or renovated before 2000.