I looked at your Thames Lab article, Ratteris. Notice that it is the asbestos removal industry that is opposing the deletion of 'artex' from the list of materials requirring special handling. Why? - vested interest IMHO.
This asbestos business is a bit like the nuclear debate - you can't see it and most people don't understand it so all things with the word 'nuclear' in them must be dangerous.
Any asbestos in pre-1999 artex is embodied in the material. It will only ever be an issue if the householder starts sanding it down.