Asbestos products were widely used in many fields because of their resiliency to heat and ability to provide good insulation. The construction industry used many asbestos products in both commercial and residential facilities through the 1970's. One such product is asbestos insulation board.
Asbestos insulation board looks very similar to plasterboard or drywall. Unless the board is marked that is contains asbestos, there is no way to visually determine if asbestos is present. Therefore, asbestos insulation board can be easily confused with a non-asbestos board. The only way to determine if the insulation board contains asbestos is through testing performed by a professional laboratory.
If you are unsure what type of insulation board is in your facility, you should contact an asbestos professional, particularly before embarking upon any remodeling efforts or if the insulation board is damaged. Accredited asbestos professionals will take samples of the insulation board using appropriate retrieval and submission methods and send for testing. If you do learn that the board contains asbestos, then an asbestos professional will need to do any removal and disposal of the insulation boards.