These can include fly tipped waste products, the historical use of a site, for example a factory, historic demolition of buildings on site or ineffective remediation solutions or removal works historically on site which may have left the area contaminated.

Asbestos in soils can be found in various forms and quantities, ranging from low concentrations of asbestos fibres being present within a soil sample to visible elements of asbestos including asbestos loose fill insulation, asbestos pipe lagging, asbestos cement or asbestos insulating board (AIB).

These can be present due to the reasons detailed above and are often buried deep in the soil and only uncovered through excavation and ground works. As the asbestos has often been in the soil for a long time, the condition and appearance of it is likely to have drastically deteriorated or changed.

Additional guidance is available including –

HSE ACOP L143 ‘Working with asbestos containing materials’

Written to cover asbestos in buildings however many of the interpretations and guidance can be applied to soils.

To ensure that the potential asbestos in soil is assessed correctly, soil samples must be assessed in a formal tiered process to identify if asbestos is present (qualification), what composition (type determination) and in what quantity (quantification).

Bulk samples – Samples of debris of fragments of asbestos containing materials

Identification – Identifying asbestos fibres within a soil sample

Product Type – If possible identifying the source product type of ACM

Quantification – Quantifying the amount of asbestos fibres within a sample to try and establish the risk of fibre release/exposure from the material.