Asbestos has been used in insulations in roofs and air ducts, various thermal insulations, pipes, boilers, water heaters, asbestos cement products, such as wallboards and ceiling panels, water and sewage pipes, floor materials, such as vinyl asbestos tiles, sheet vinyl and magnesia mastics flooring, and various bitumen products: adhesives, roof shingles, bitumen and facade paints, plaster, mortar, and asbestos paper. Inevitably asbestos-containing materials have to be removed ever more extensively in the next ten years.

Asbestos-related diseases are the biggest occupational cause of death.

Asbestos has been widely used in building materials for its good qualities and low price.

Asbestos fibres become airborne when handling asbestos-containing materials, and build up in the lungs through breathing. Becoming exposed to these fibres can cause lung disease such as asbestosis and more severe conditions such as pulmonary cancer and mesothelioma (pleural or peritoneal cancer). In projects involving asbestos it is necessary to isolate the work site and wear protective clothing.