How asbestos was used for insulation and lagging, and photos of what it looks like.

Asbestos was widely used for the thermal insulation of pipes, boilers and heat exchangers. There are a number of different types of insulation.
Installers would often use whatever materials were available to hand or in stock, it is very common to find variations of material on the same pipe or boiler.

Encapsulated (sealed) and painted bright yellow to warn of asbestos content.
Sprayed coatings are vulnerable to accidental damage.

The dry sprayed coatings may have a candyfloss appearance if left untamped.
Overspray onto areas and recesses surrounding the object that was being coated is common.
Sprayed coatings may have deteriorated significantly over time and must be treated with caution.
This article was published on Dec 10, 2009