It dries out the seals on appliances like the fridge and makes them brittle

The wood was very brittle and didn’t have enough meat to sister up new joist.

Knob and tube are not safe because the heat form the electrical current over 100 years breaks down everything becomes brittle /FIRE Hazard!

Trying to get away with siphoning the debris into the weekly trash in order to avoid getting yet another dumpster. lastly I have been patching siding where possible to fix damage done by Dads Abatement. this stuff is so brittle but I think I can save it and hold off on the $20k expense to reside the entire building for a few more years. 

. - First thing I do is take a little corner of a shingle and twist it to see how brittle it is. 

In addition to what Justin said in regards to stucco being brittle, it can and frequently does crack from thermal cycles.

As for intact asbestos siding i would say it is an issue only if brittle.

The shingles are brittle and cracking and splitting with some shingle tabs broken and missing.

The bathtubs were so thin and brittle, I was able to basically just kick them apart (this is very cathartic if you're in a bad mood, btw)  ..

The cheep stuff is a pain to install, locking edges break, and does not last.Get the brands that wave water resistance otherwise every spill or pet pee will bubble the seams.WPC products tend to be more rigid and therefore more brittle and easier to break the locking system during installation for take your time if you're using one of these.