This article describes the use of asbestos in asphalt-based roofing products such as asphalt roof shingles and roll roofing, and also the use of asbestos in asphalt shingle siding.

We list the types of asphalt-based roofing products in which asbestos was used, we give known dates of manufacture, and we refer to research on the history of the use of asbestos in asphalt roof shingles, asphalt roll roofing, and related products.

Asbestos in asphalt roof shingles, roll roofing, roofing felt underlayment, flashings, mastics

Asbestos was used in asphalt-based roofing products such as asphalt roofing or siding shingles in North America as early as 1891 and continued into the early 1980's.

The National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) identifies several asphalt-containing roofing products that may also contain asbestos including

• Asphalt roof shingles - both organic or asphalt-impregnated paper substrate asphalt shingles and fiberglass or synthetic fiber base asphalt shingles
• Base flashings
• Built-up roofing
• Single ply membrane systems [including asphalt-based roll roofing]
• Roof coatings and mastics
• Roofing underlayment felts or "roofing felt" or "tar paper" in the vernacular

The following Table of Asbestos-containing Asphalt Roofing Products, adapted from Townsend et als (2007) lists what I call the "first order" producers of asbestos-containing asphalt roofing products.

Watch out: these are primary asphalt-based roofing product or material manufacturers.

The asbestos-containing asphalt or related materials produced by these manufacturers might well have appeared in other asphalt shingle brands or roll roofing brands, felt paper brands, and asphalt-based siding brands sold.

For example, a number common single brands sold in North America before the mid 1980's do not appear in this list but may have included products that contained asbestos.

Note: ... asbestos is rarely found in today’s roofing waste; however, one must still exercise caution in using PC waste, and mandatory testing of these materials for asbestos is required by some agencies. (Willis 2013)

Notes to the table above

The most commonly-used asbestos fiber in roofing materials is chrysotile (Townsend 2007)

Townsend et als give this critical summary of the use of asbestos in asphalt roofing products that we have adapted with minor modifications. (Townsend 2007)

Source: Townsend, Timothy, Jon Powell, and Chad Xu. "Environmental issues associated with asphalt shingle recycling." Construction Materials Recycling Association, US EPA Innovations Workgroup (2007).

Excerpts from Townsend help interpret the table above:

Asbestos roof felt: Also referred to as asbestos roof mat, it is a component that is impregnated in asphalt that was used as an insulating and waterproofing material between roof boards and shingles (Johns-Manville no date). These roof mats were widely used in “built-up” roofs in the US (EPA 1990c). 

Asbestos roof putty: This was a plastic cement used to stop leaks due to holes in shingles, roofs, or slates (Johns-Manville no date).

Asbestos surface coating: This was a siding and roof coating designed for the application to exterior (and interior) surfaces of asbestos shingles, applied by spray or brush (Amianthus no date).

Mastic: A paste-like material used as an adhesive or seal 

In the 1970s, asbestos was banned from many uses when it became widely understood that workers who had been chronically exposed to the material developed cancer, asbestosis, and related diseases (NAHB 1998).

However, asbestos was not banned from all products, and available information indicates that some asphalt roofing products containing asbestos were manufactured after the 1970s.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), there has been no asbestos mining in the US since 2002, but asbestos is still imported and utilized in roofing products, totaling about 55% of the approximately 3,500 tons consumed in the US in 2007 (USGS 2007). The roofing products that still utilize asbestos include roof coatings, cements, and mastics (USGS 2007; Virta 2007).

According to the USGS and the Asbestos Information Association/North America (AIA/NA, an asbestos industry trade group), asbestos is not used in the production of asphalt shingles today, and was phased out as a material used in the production of asphalt shingles in the early 1980s (USGS 2007; AIA/NA 2007).

There are limited data available regarding the asbestos content used in roofing products, including asphalt shingles.

Manufacturer data regarding asbestos content in shingles is sparse, possibly because

(a) potential liability concerns,

(b) the companies that manufactured asbestos containing asphalt shingles no longer exist, or

(c) the data are simply not available.

Johns Manville Corporation, who began manufacturing asbestos-containing roofing products in the late 1800s, manufactured asbestos-asphalt roofing shingles (further described as asphalt impregnated asbestos-fiberglass reinforced shingles) from 1907 to 1979 that contained between 35 and 50% asbestos (EPA 1990d).

It is noted that this data may not necessarily be representative of the amount of asbestos used in the manufacture of asphalt shingles by others, but the data do indicate that the amount of asbestos used by some manufacturers was significant.

Typically, roofs are replaced every 12 to 25 years; however, it is not uncommon to install new roofing shingles on top of old ones, and as a result, roofing shingle waste may sometimes contain two or three layers of old shingles (RMG 2001). Despite this, one still may expect the occurrence of asbestos in discarded post-consumer asphalt shingles to decrease over time given that asbestos use in roofing products was mostly eliminated in the 1970s.

Asbestos is regulated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA); EPA regulates the handling and disposal of asbestos (through standards known as National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP)), and OSHA regulates occupational exposure to asbestos.  

Asbestos & Metallic Micro-Meteorite Dust Test Results for Granular Debris from an Asphalt Shingle Roof

Photo: a collection of granular roof debris and dust examined first for metallic fragments and potentially metallic meteorite dust and later for asbestos.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Sample No. 10: Location: Houston TX, Asphalt shingle granular debris collected by homeowner, collected 07 April 2017 (by homeowner)

Below: these same roof granules under the stereo microscope in our lab.

We also examined this sample in our lab, searching for mineral granules, potentially meteorite dust, following this note from the homeowner:

I ran a magnet through a little pile of shingle granules in the gutters, and found metal particles and flakes. Are there metal flakes, or any metal at all in the granule protective layer of asphalt shingles?

Must know before I lecture on meteorites. ...

I placed a strong magnet just above the shingles on my roof... no attraction. Then I scraped some of the granules off and tried the magnet... nothing.

But when I ran the magnet through some granules that had collected in the gutter, I get many, many small pieces of ferrous metal.

This confirms something I read about the whole Earth being constantly bombarded by meteorites.

Most of them burn up in the atmosphere, but some survive as flakes and particles and land on rooftops (and on everything else, too). Imagine that -- being able to collect space material off your roof.

I've collected about an ounce of flakes and I'm going to give a lecture at my astronomy club on this subject on Friday. It will make an interesting school science project for kids..

We did find some iron (magnetic metal) debris in this sample, including a nail fragment visible in the photo below.

Reply to client:

In this sample I found debris that would adhere to my magnet but I had trouble, even at 1200x light microscopy, identifying shiny spherical objects.

Most of what I found looked like rust flakes such as might have been shed by objects like the rusty nail fragment in the sample photo shown above.

And there are of course other metallic and magnetic particles used in asphalt roofing manufacture.

The metals found in roof shingle granules are most-often copper, zinc, or sometimes aluminum in coatings, included for algae resistance, reflectivity, or appearance. Among deliberately-used metals in asphalt shingle roofing manufacture, I'd be surprised to find magnetic or iron based particles.

However there are certainly going to be exceptions to what's common, and some magnetic metals including iron oxides might be used for color purposes, as I'll cite below.

Considering that experts had to search through 300 kg of roof dust and muck (collected over an un-specified interval) in Paris, Oslo and Berlin, using magnets to find just 500 cosmic dust grains, it seems to me that it will be difficult to reliably collect micrometeorites from most roof dust at most homes, particularly if the dust sample does not represent a sufficiently long collection interval.

Independent Lab Test Resutls for Asbestos in rooftop dust / meteorite sample

In 2019 we also sent this sample to a certified asbestos testing laboratory for characterization.

Report below: the EMSL Phase 1 test: Asbestos Analysis of Bulk Materials via EPA 600/R-93/116 Method using Polarized Light Microscopy found:

• Various, non-fibrous, homogeneous material
• (100)% non-fibrous (other)

Positive identification of asbestos requires the determination of optical property characteristics of the six types of regulated asbestos: chrysotile, amosite (grunerite), crocidolite (riebeckite), anthophyllite, tremolite and actinolite asbestos. - EMSL

Report below: EMSL report on the same sample No. 010 using Asbestos Analysis of Non-Friable Organically Bound Materials by TEM via EPA/600/R-93/116 Section 2.5.5.1

• Various, non-fibrous, homogeneous material
• (100)% non-fibrous (other)
• No Asbestos Detected

For TEM, an aliquot of the material is organically reduced. This is performed on the sample by ashing (using a muffle furnace), followed by acid digestion to remove the carbonate mineral.

Mass determinations are recorded after each step, determining the percent loss for each type of matrix material. - EMSL

• ASBESTOS TEST REPORT: Asbestos Analysis of Non-Friable Organically Bound Materials by TEM via EPA/600/R-93/116 Section 2.5.5.1 [PDF] 2020/01/22 Test Report: Asbestos Analysis of Non-Friable Organically Bound Materials by TEM via EPA/600/R-93/116 Section 2.5.5.1
  
  For samples 001, 010, 011
  
  Sample No. 10: see details at - TEST of ASPHALT ROOF SHINGLE ASBESTOS - 10 Debris from asphalt shingle [?] roof, Houston TX
• Contact: EMSL Analytical, Inc., 200 Route 130 North, Cinnaminson, NJ 08077 USA, Tel: 856-303-2500 - Fax: 856-786-5974 - Toll Free: 800-220-3675
  Lab Hours: Mon-Friday 7AM-10PM, Saturday 8AM-5PM, Sunday On-Call.

Research on Metallic ingredients in asphalt roof shingles

• Hansen, David R. "Roofing shingle." U.S. Patent 4,405,680, issued September 20, 1983.
• Kiik, Matti, Michael Bryson, and Margie Beerer. "Metal flake-surfaced roofing materials." U.S. Patent Application 10/274,717, filed October 21, 2002.
  
  The present invention relates to roofing materials for roofs, sidewalls and other exterior surfaces exposed to the weather such as, but not limited to, asphaltic and non-asphaltic roofing materials, wherein metal flakes cover up to 100% of the weathering surface of the roofing materials.
  
  The metal flakes may be applied to the surface in striations or bands separated by conventional roofing granules or may be blended with conventional roofing granules. The metal flakes may have antimicrobial potential and may provide resistance to microbial growth to roofing materials when dispersed in or applied thereto.
  
  The present invention also relates to methods of making the roofing materials.
• Larsen, Jon, "How To Find Micrometeorites In Your Home" retrieved 2020/02/05 original source: http://www.iflscience.com/space/how-hunt-micrometeorites/
  
  Excerpt: It is estimated that anywhere from 37,000 to 78,000 tons of meteorites hit Earth’s surface each year. That might seem a bit high, but the vast majority of this figure is made up of micrometeorites, which are dust-sized specks about 50 µm to 2 mm in diameter. It is estimated that about one micrometeorite lands every square meter per year
• Levinson, Ronnen, Paul Berdahl, Hashem Akbari, William Miller, Ingo Joedicke, Joseph Reilly, Yoshi Suzuki, and Michelle Vondran. "Methods of creating solar-reflective nonwhite surfaces and their application to residential roofing materials." Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells 91, no. 4 (2007): 304-314.
• New Scientist, "Cosmic dust grains found on city rooftops for the first time", New Scientist, UK/ Rest of World: Tel. 0330 333 9470 / +44 (0)1444 475636 (9 am to 5 pm UK Time) US: Toll Free Tel. 1 888 822 3242 (9 am to 5 pm EST) Standard Tel. 1 636 736 4901 AU/ NZ: Tel. 1300 130 226 (low cost, Australia only) or +61 (0)2 8355 8923 (9:30 am to 5:30 pm AEST) Email: ns.subs@quadrantsubs.com retrieved 2020/02/05 original source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2115336-cosmic-dust-grains-found-on-city-rooftops-for-the-first-time/
  
  Excerpt: Researchers sifted through 300 kilograms of muck trapped in roof gutters in Paris, Oslo and Berlin. Using magnets to pull out the particles, which contain magnetic minerals, they identified a total of 500 cosmic dust grains. - Journal reference: Geology, DOI: 10.1130/G38352.1
• Van Metre, Peter C., and Barbara J. Mahler. "The contribution of particles washed from rooftops to contaminant loading to urban streams." Chemosphere 52, no. 10 (2003): 1727-1741.
  

Research on Use of Asbestos in Asphalt-based Roofing Products

• Donegan, Joseph W. "Fire retardant coated roofing sheet and process for preparing." U.S. Patent 2,782,129, issued February 19, 1957.
  
  Excerpts:
  
  Many efforts have been made in the pastto improve the fire retardance of the otherwise advantageous asphalt roofings of the class referred to. Early efforts in this direction involved the use of fire retardant fillers such as asbestos, mineral wooh vermiculite, etc., in the asphalt coatings.
  ...
  
  These and other objects are accomplished according to my inventiomwherein a conventional asphalt-saturated felt base is coated on one side with two layers of coating composition comprising asphalt and between about 5% and about 20% of asbestos fibre of a grade equivalent to a group 7 grade separated by an intermediate layer of unexpanded vermiculite granules.
  
  The crux of the invention depends on utilization of unexpanded vermiculite as an interlayer between two layers of an asbestos-containing asphalt coating composition of critical characteristics.
  
  Thus, the coating should contain a sufiicient quantity of a proper type of asbestos to impart an appreciable degree of firefretardance, and to decrease somewhat the ultimate flow, of the coating when heated, but insufiicient to so decrease mobility of the coating at application temperature as to preclude its application on conventional coating machines.
  
  The quantity and character of the asbestos fibre used as filler for the conventional coating asphalt are therefore critical. Suitable asbestos fibres are those of a type classified as any one of the group 7 grades according to screen analyses as set forth in the Canadian Department of Mines Bulletin 707 (1931) and U. S. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 403 on Asbestos (1937).
  
  Thus, asbestos designated as grades 7F, 7-R, 7-K, etc. or their equivalents may be used.
  
• Franklin, Marvin L., and Duane W. Gagle. "Synthetic organic fiber {13 asbestos fiber fabric and asphalt impregnated product." U.S. Patent 3,632,415, issued January 4, 1972.
  
  Excerpt:
  A mat or fabric is made of asbestos fiber incorporated with polyethylene, polypropylene, Nylon and/or polyvinylchloride staple, split film, fibers or other synthetic organic fiber or subdivided polymeric material or plastic.
  
  The composite product either alone or impregnated, as with an asphaltic material, is suited for use as insulation, construction material, molding, and the like.
• Fry, Lloyd A., Fry, Lloyd A. "Method of treating asphalt shingles and composition therefor." U.S. Patent 2,000,226, issued May 7, 1935.
  
  Excerpt: This invention relates to an improved method of treating composition shingles, commonly known as asphalt shingles, or other like articles, which are commonly formed by saturating a 5 sheet of rag or asbestos felt base with an asphalt of light consistency and coating or sealing the same with an asphalt of substantially heavier consistency, and further applying a coating of crushed mineral material to one surface thereof, and then cutting the sheet up into shingles or other objects adapted to be placed upon roofs or the like.
• Goff, Myron F. "Method for spray-coating a roof with a composition containing liquid asphalt and fluffed asbestos fiber." U.S. Patent 3,617,329, issued November 2, 1971.
• Joseph, Magrath. "Method of making asbestos siding in imitation of brick." U.S. Patent 1,959,960, issued May 22, 1934.
• Mowat, Fionna, Ryan Weidling, and Patrick Sheehan. "Simulation tests to assess occupational exposure to airborne asbestos from asphalt-based roofing products." Annals of Occupational Hygiene 51, no. 5 (2007): 451-462.
  
  Excerpt: Based on these results, it is unlikely that roofers were exposed to airborne asbestos concentrations above the current or historical occupational guidelines during scraping and sanding of these products during roof repair.
• MN DOH ROOFING & SIDING ASBESTOS, [PDF] Minnesota Department of Health, retrieved 2019/01/12 original source: www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/asbestos/homeowner/roofside.html
• Murdock, John B. "Roofing or siding article." U.S. Patent 4,288,959, issued September 15, 1981.
• OSHA REGULATIONS, ASBESTOS ROOFING, SIDING [web article]
• Overbury, Frederick C. "Process of making roofing felt or like material." U.S. Patent 1,558,495, issued October 27, 1925. Abstract excerpts:
  
  This invention has for its object to produce a fibrous material which will possess strength and flexibility and also marked fireproof qualities....
  
  According to my invention and to meet the object thus specified, I provide a multiply sheet formed of layers of paper felt and asbestos, the fibers of the several layers being intermingled and adherent, so 25 that the sheet is an integral structure.
  
  In the manufacture of this sheet, the paper felt layer a is formed of cotton and wool or other suitable fiber in the usual manner, into a wet pulpy web, upon which is deposited a wet pulpy web of asbestos fiber b.
  
  These'may be then subjected to a felting action in a machine or apparatus of the ordinary construction, or be dried in the usual dryin machine, thus producing a sheet, one face of which is paper felt (so-called) and the other face of which is asbestos, the two layers being interlocked I together by the intermingling of their fibers without the use of any foreign binder or cement.
  
  It is quite apparent that the sheet may consist of more than two layers of the asbestos and of the Wool fiber, as for instance the layer of asbestos can be laid between the layers of Wool felt, or vice versa.
  
• Rashid, Sheikh A., Hugh S. Bray, and Edward J. Boarini. "Fire resistant asphalt roofing shingles." U.S. Patent 4,082,885, issued April 4, 1978. Assigned to United States Gypsum. Co.
  
  Excerpt: The felt base material of this invention is the type normally used in asphalt roofing shingles and is formed generally from paper rags, asbestos, mineral wool, etc., or a fibrous insulation board in accordance with the usual practice.
• Shearer, Eugene L. "Roofing material and method of laying same." U.S. Patent 3,894,376, issued July 15, 1975.
  
  Excerpt: It will be appreciated that along the gaps between adjaceht over sheets a horizontal row that the roof covering is single rather than double thickness.
  
  Accordingly, it is contemplated that the life of each shingle unit and the composite roof covering could be extended by adding an additional layer of asbestos, foil, asphalt composite or the like on top of the under sheet to establish a double thickness in the gaps and a triple thickness throughout the remainder of the roof covering.
• Szabó, Szilárd, Péter Burai, Zoltán Kovács, György Szabó, Attila Kerényi, István Fazekas, Mónika Paládi, Tamás Buday, and Gergely Szabó. TESTING ALGORITHMS FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF ASBESTOS ROOFING BASED ON HYPERSPECTRAL DATA [PDF] (2014) Environmental Engineering and Management Journal 143, no. 11 (2014): 2875-2880.
  
  Abstract
  
  There are several environmental issues in urban areas that are caused by the unintentional consequences of past activities.
  
  One of these issues is the wide application of asbestos cement in roofing materials in the 2nd half of the 1900s.
  
  In this study, our goal was to identify different roof types and to determine those with asbestos components using high-ground (1 m) and spectral (126 bands) resolution airborne hyperspectral imagery (AISA Eagle II) and several classification approaches.
  
  In addition, we aimed to identify those wavelengths that play a significant role in distinguishing the different roof types. In the image analysis, the SAM, MLC and SVM classification methods were used to evaluate the different types of roofs.
  
  These methods resulted in accurate maps of the roof types, and asbestos cement roofs were identified with over 85% accuracy. Key words: Aisa EAGLE, asbestos-cement, hyperspectral remote sensing, image classification, roofs.
• Townsend, Timothy, Jon Powell, and Chad Xu. ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH ASPHALT SHINGLE RECYCLING [PDF] Construction Materials Recycling Association, US EPA Innovations Workgroup (2007).
  
  Excerpt:
  
  Asbestos is the name given to a number of naturally-occurring fibrous silicate minerals, including: chrysotile, crocidolite, amosite, anthophyllite, tremolite, and actinolite (ATSDR 1995a; OSHA 2002b).
  
  The most commonly-used asbestos fiber in roofing materials is chrysotile; as a result, this is the asbestos fiber that is most commonly detected in recycled asphalt shingle samples.
  
  Another type of shingle was historically produced with asbestos, referred to as asbestos shingles (also known as transite), which were typically a rigid board type material made up of asbestos mineral fibers and Portland cement mixtures.
  
  This section presents a discussion of the historical use of asbestos in roofing products, the associated asbestos regulations, as well as case studies from asphalt shingles recyclers throughout the US that measured the asbestos content of discarded asphalt shingles.
• Venrick, Emmett E. "Shingle." U.S. Patent 2,161,440, issued June 6, 1939.
  Excerpt:
  
  The shingle consists of a felt base I! which may be formed from rag, asbestos or the like, that has been saturated and coated with asphalt and surfaced with mineral granules l3 such as crushed 5 slate, tile or natural stone.
• Virta, R.L., MINERAL COMMODITY PROFILES—ASBESTOS [PDF] (2006) USGS, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1255–KK, 56 p
  
  Excerpt:
  Asbestos is a generic name given to six fibrous minerals that have been used in commercial products. It is an industry term rather than a mineralogical term that is applied to specific fibrous mineral particles that possess high tensile strengths, large length-to-width ratios, flexibility, and resistance to chemical and thermal degradation.
  
  Asbestos also exhibits high electric resistance, and many forms can easily be woven into textiles (Bowles, 1935, p. 5-7; Rosato, 1959, p. 46-52; Meylan and others, 1978, p. 2-12; Virta, 2001).
  
  The six types of asbestos that have been used commercially are actinolite asbestos, amosite (cummingtonite-grunerite asbestos), anthophyllite asbestos, chrysotile, crocidolite (riebeckite asbestos), and tremolite asbestos.
  
  Chrysotile is a serpentine group mineral.
  
  The other five varieties of asbestos are amphibole group minerals ...
• Walker, Robert T., and Clyde C. Schuetz. "Fire resistant asphalt coating composition and shingle." U.S. Patent 3,180,783, issued April 27, 1965.

• Willis, J. Richard, Ph.D., RECLAIMED ASPHALT SHINGLES CHARACTERIZATION: BEST PRACTICES [PDF] NCAT Report 13-07 (2013) National Center for Asphalt Technology, Auburn University, 277 Technology Pkwy, Auburn AL 36830 USA - retrieved 2023/07/06, original source: https://www.eng.auburn.edu/research/centers/ncat/files/reports/2013/rep13-07.pdf
  
  Excerpts:
  
  Numerous studies have been conducted to determine the prevalence of asbestos in shingles throughout the country. Table 10 provides these test results by state.
  
  As can be seen, asbestos is rarely found in today’s roofing waste; however, one must still exercise caution in using PC waste, and mandatory testing of these materials for asbestos is required by some agencies (9).
  
  Federal regulations in the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants state that recycled materials must have less than one percent asbestos if they are to be used in roadway projects (36).
  
  Asbestos is one of six fibrous silicate minerals found in nature: chrysolite, termoble, actinolie, anthophyllite, crocidolite, and amosite (37, 38). Exposure to these fibers has been shown to increase the risk of diseases such as lung cancer, asbestotsis, and mesothelioma.
  
  Asbestos is hazardous when it is in a free state such as during the grinding process (37, 42). ...
  
  While these fibers were present in asphalt shingles, they were typically placed in low dosages.
  
  The average asbestos content in 1964 was 0.02 percent while the amount decreased in 1973 to 0.00016 percent (44). However, asbestos fibers are not used in asphalt shingles today, nor have they been used since the 1980s (12, 49).
  
  Therefore, MW shingles should not contain asbestos, and contractors should ask shingle manufacturers for documentation stating their shingles were free of asbestos before they are used in asphalt mixtures (19).
  
  

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2023-11-04 by Anonymous Do they still using asbestos containing roof felt or mastics right now?

Do they still using asbestos containing roof felt or mastics right now? I saw it was not banned in commercial use not sure about residential. Do they?

www.lanierlawfirm [dot] com/mesothelioma/asbestos-exposure/products/roof-shingles/#:~:text=shingles%20are%20damaged.-,Is%20asbestos%20still%20used%20for%20roofing%3F,and%20mastics%2C%20according%20to%20Inspectapedia.

This website said asbestos use in asphalt shingles are still using and cited you guys, can you confirm if it is reliable? - re-posted by moderator with link disabled

On 2023-11-06 by InspectApedia Publisher - no. The mesothelioma asbestos website that you quote uses confusing ambiguous text.

@Anonymous,

Bottom line: Generally no.

Our article also includes this comment pointing out that roofing waste - such as from re-roof jobs, could contain asbestos as those jobs may be tearing off older roof material:

Note: ... asbestos is rarely found in today’s roofing waste; however, one must still exercise caution in using PC waste, and mandatory testing of these materials for asbestos is required by some agencies. (Willis 2013)

Details:

Watch out: The Mesothelioma website that you quote makes a CONFUSING CLAIM when they state "Asbestos asphalt roofing compounds are still in use today, including coatings, cement, and mastics, according to InspectApedia. "

What they say is technically correct, that is "in use today" can be taken to mean that OLD (made in 1984 or earlier) asbestos-containing materials might still be on a building roof.

But it is not the case that modern, new, asphalt shingles would be expected to contain asbestos.

Please read the article above - this page is our original article referred to by the mesothelioma website.

Here do NOT state that asbestos is still in use in the production of modern, contemporary asphalt shingle roof materials.

In this article we provide a table of the years that various manufacturers of roofing products produced materials containing asbestos.

None of those roofing manufacturing companies used asbestos in roofing products after 1984 and most discontinued the use of asbestos before that year.

What these dates mean is that if a U.S. building using asphalt roofing products such as shingles, roll roofing, or mastic flashing cement was built before 1984 AND if that building still contains roof materials from that time, then it is possible that asbestos-containing materials are indeed on the roof.

Because it's not at all likely that 1980's asphalt-based roofing products would still be in active use on a building as it's upper-most (exposed to weather) roofing, the most-likely scenario in which such products would still be in place on a roof would be as an older layer of roofing over which subsequent layers of roof materials have been placed.

Therefore the most likely asbestos hazard from such a roof might occur during building demolition or during a re-roof job or roof repair job that required tearing off (removing) all of the old layers of roof coverings and flashings.

 

On 2023-08-21 by Anonymous - Are you saying that shingles themselves do not contain asbestos?

@InspectApedia Publisher, are you saying the shingles itself doesn't contain asbestos?

On 2023-08-21 by InspectApedia Publisher - No; Older asphalt roof shingles often contained asbestos as did the roofing felt underlayment

@Anonymous,

"The shingle itself" is the composite of all of its constituent parts. The "shingle" would no longer be be a roof "shingle" if you took one or more of its components away.

However asphalt-impregnated felt based shingles (older ones, that is) often contained asbestos fibers or fillers or both in the asphalt-impregnated base that forms the body of the shingles. The top coating of mineral granules were not generally an asbestos product.

On 2023-08-21 by Anonymous - What's the rough age of these shingles? I'm worried about asbestos.

@InspectApedia Publisher, can you identify the rough age of the asphalt shingles, from what I knew at 2011 the shingles was looking in very good condition, but starting at 2018, there are some small rip offs at the edge for some shingles, and as it continues onto 2022 there were some granules missing and rain leaked.

i am guessing it is installed after 2000, i don't think asphalt shingles from before asbestos was banned can last that long judging by the speed it decays.

also the neighbor's house's shingle were also looking perfect at 2011 but at 2022 it is serverly damaged than the one on the picture, a lot of them having ripping off edges and lost of granules.

On 2023-08-21 by InspectApedia Publisher - can you identify the rough age of the asphalt shingles

@Anonymous,

Apologies, but the photo is a bit blurry and we have no surrounding/supporting information except that you seem to suggest that your building was built before 2000.

I agree that it's unlikely that a mid 1980's asphalt shingle roof would still be usable today and so yours is probably newer than that.

On 2023-08-21 by Anonymous - Part of a professional re-roofing job is that the contractor cleans up and removes the construction debris,

@InspectApedia Publisher, the building was built 1920s, and the picture with shingles at good condition was 2011, the damaged one was taken 2022. so I don't think if it is really taking that fast for it to be damaged that much.

even it was installed at 2000, i doubt it can maintain in good condition until 2011. my guess is that it was installed not very long before 2011. Also not just the neighbor, many buildings in this area had shingles in good condition around 2011, but a lot of them were either replaced with new ones or damaged as in 2022.

the shingles were just replaced recently, i am worrying about the pieces remaining on the ground and some of them were still remaining on the roof and sometimes comedown along with rain and stick around my window, i do clear it once i see it, but just in case ,so I want to ask for your opinion, since i am not pro.

On 2023-08-21 by InspectApedia Publisher -

@Anonymous,

It seems to me that part of a professional re-roofing job is that the contractor cleans up and removes the construction debris, including shingle remnants.

On 2023-08-21 by Anonymous - A bit of old roofing debris dust may remain on the ground - probably not a problem

@InspectApedia Publisher, they did the most of them, but i think some small dust are remaining and some very small pieces were still on the ground. I don't think it would be a problem as long as the shingles were installed after the asbestos were banned

the ground were very dark at during re-roofing process, but they cleaned it up after, just a bit remaining.

i am guessing it is installed after 2000, is this reasonable guess? what do you think

On 2023-08-21 by InspectApedia Publisher (mod)

@Anonymous,

Thank you for the added detail - that will help other readers.

 

On 2023-07-06 by Anonymous - Which roof shingles were more likely to contain asbestos?

@InspectApedia Publisher, were other types also used in rare case, or just none

was the use of asbestos in asphalt shingles common? if it does contain asbestos would every piece of the shingle contain asbestos?

On 2023-07-06 by InspectApedia Publisher

@Anonymous,

Asbestos was found in both organic or asphalt-impregnated paper substrate asphalt shingles and fiberglass or synthetic fiber base asphalt shingles

On 2023-07-06 by Anonymous - What type of asbestos was typically used in asphalt shingles

what type of asbestos was typically used in asphalt shingles

On 2023-07-06 by InspectApedia Publisher - Chrysotile

@Anonymous,

Chrysotile asbestos was typically used in asphalt shingles

 

Question: do I need to take more than one asphalt shingle sample to test my roof for asbestos?

Anonymous asked: Asbestos Content in Asphalt Roof Shingles

I can't find an answer, so I'm bothering you. Sorry.

I took a 4-inch sample from one of the ashphalt shingles coming off my roof to a lab for asbestos testing. I asked them if I needed to bring five or six samples and they said no, one is sufficient.
Do you agree?

... I had to get a new roof on my house. I'm certain the old roof was all the same shingles. I'm figuring they were 16 - 18 yrs old.

Anonymous by private email - 2019/01/12

Reply: no, not if all of the roof shingles are from the same brand, product, and epoch

Naturally I would tend to agree with the people you're hiring to do the "asbestos" test though without more specific information I'm unclear about why you are testing a modern
Asphalt roof shingles for asbestos.

IF you know that your asphalt roofing materials - such as asphalt shingles, roofing felt, roll roofing, were manufactured before roofing manufacturers in your country stopped using asbestos THEN you might treat the roof as "PACM" - presumed asbestos containing material, OR if facing extra demolition costs (because of PACM) you might want to have a sample tested.

If your home or its roof are in the United States and are newer than around 1985, the chances of asbestos in your asphalt roof shingles are pretty low. Only if a roofer used old roof shingle stock might that be expected.

But the lab cannot see your house, doesn't know its history, won't know the history of the roof, won't know if more than one brand, age, or shingle product is or was installed, and probably knows even less about asphalt shingle roofing practices or inspection.

So ALL that an asbestos lab is likely to tell you is whether or not they detected asbestos in the sample that you provided. They cannot take responsibility for sample selection or the sampling process. To have expert advice on sampling of a roof for asbestos you would need an on-site expert.

Or you can continue as a DIY project in which case it's up to you to know that your sample is representative.

Minnesota's DOH adds this advice

Just having asbestos siding and roofing on your home does not pose a hazard to your health. Asbestos-containing roofing and siding in good condition are best left alone. Damaged roofing and siding should be carefully repaired.

Sometimes asbestos-containing roofing and siding can be covered with new materials. Check your local building codes. www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/asbestos/homeowner/roofside.html

Watch out: demolishing asbestos containing materials without following proper procedures for containment and personal protection can be dangerous.

Given your report that your roof is about 18 years old, 2019 - 18 = 2001 = well after asbestos should have no-longer been found in asphalt shingles.

So your lab report would be very important if it finds asbestos.

Do let me know what your lab test reports as that will be helpful to other readers.

Reader follow-up: shingles tested negative for asbestos

The test was negative. The tar paper also. I think we're good.

The lab said asbestos is evenly distributed throughout individual shingles.

I asked if I should have brought 5 or 6 to test and he said no, one's fine.

They said over the years, people bringing in multiple samples from the same roof always shared the same results.

This answer would have satisfied most people but ..

...

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