Paper wallpaper was not generally made with asbestos. What sits behind it often can be: asbestos insulating board used as a lining, textured coatings applied over plaster, bituminous felts and papers, and in some products an asbestos backing paper bonded to a wall covering. Stripping an old wall is therefore a question about the layers rather than about the paper on top.
What the layers can be
From the room inwards: the covering itself, its adhesive, any textured or plaster skim beneath, the board or plaster it is on, and whatever lining sits behind that. Asbestos insulating board and textured coatings are the two that matter most, and both were routinely papered over. A wall that looks like plaster under one layer of paper can be board under three.
Backing papers
Some sheet wall and floor coverings carried an asbestos backing paper, and the backing is far more friable than the covering it is bonded to. Where a covering lifts and leaves a fibrous paper stuck to the wall or floor, that paper is a separate material and is sampled separately rather than scraped off.
Before stripping
In a building of the right age, treat unknown wall build ups as suspect and get the layers identified before a steamer or a scraper comes out. Steam and mechanical stripping are disturbances, and a wall that turns out to be insulating board is a licensable job rather than a decorating one.
If you have already started
Stop, leave the debris, keep people out and get the material analysed. Do not sweep or vacuum: ordinary vacuum cleaners spread fine fibres. A room left alone is a straightforward clean; a room that has been tidied is not.
Questions people ask about asbestos wallpaper
Is there asbestos in wallpaper?
Ordinary paper wallpaper was not made with it. Some sheet wall coverings had asbestos backing papers, and the materials behind the paper frequently contain it.
Can I steam old wallpaper off?
Only once you know what is underneath. Steaming is a disturbance and it is exactly how a decorating job on an insulating board wall goes wrong.
What if the wall is textured under the paper?
Treat it as a textured coating until analysed. It is normally non-licensed work, and it must not be sanded or dry scraped.