Research undertaken in 1995 by Professor Peto and HSE epidemiologists showed that 25% of those 3000 people who die each year from asbestos-related diseases worked in the building industry at some point in their working lives.

Asbestos is a fibrous material, hair like yet very strong and durable. It is found in the earth and is extracted in a similar way to coal. The main strength of Asbestos which made it so popular is that is very heat resistant and does not conduct electricity.

A common miss conception is that Asbestos is only found as part of your roofing insulation. It can be found in modern day appliances such as toasters and hair dryers as a means of insulating heat. In fact nearly all products that require insulation from heat or electricity use Asbestos to some degree.

Since the 1970's the use of Asbestos has dramatically decreased as the dangers of its use were discovered during this time.

Asbestos, no matter what state always carries some degree of danger to human lives. It is at its most dangerous when it has been broken down down creating clouds of harmful dust. A common remedy to significantly reduce these dangers is to encapsulate the Asbestos. An example would in floor tiles. In their coated form they are harmless. However, if these were to be sawed, drilled or broken then the encapsulation would fail and be 'friable' and dangerous.