Does this material in or on my building contain asbestos? Easy questions can help you decide if a material may contain asbestos, or not - a precursor to deciding to have a material tested for asbestos, or simply to treat the material as presumed to contain asbestos.
This article series explains how to products that are likely to contain asbestos, by making a simple visual inspection, noting the probable age of the building and age of its materials, and similar clues.
Asbestos is safe and legal to remain in homes or public buildings as long as the asbestos materials are in good condition and the asbestos can not be released into the air.
InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.
- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?
If you don't want to or cannot have a sample of your asbestos-suspect material tested, answer the easy questions below to make a reasonable guess at whether or not the floor contains asbestos.
Generally the safest and most-economical approach is to leave asbestos-suspect materials in place, covering it over. In that case you do not need to test a sample of your material for asbestos.
However IF you must demolish the material AND you cannot remove it without creating a dusty mess, STOP and either treat the product as presumed to contain asbestos or have a sample tested.
First priority: don't make a dusty mess: many building materials can produce harmful dust, regardless of whether the material contains asbestos.
Some products such as the corrugated asbestos paper pipe insulation shown at the top of this page can be identified by visual inspection as there really was not another identical-looking pipe insulation product made without asbestos. This asbestos pipe insulation is friable and should not be disturbed.
For other materials, before having the material tested, answering some basic questions or giving context information can help make a reasonable guess at whether or not the material contains asbestos.
Second priority: don't panic about possible asbestos in a material. Panic itself can be a health hazard and can also be a financial hazard.
If a material is not friable and is in good condition, even if it contains asbestos it's not likely to be releasing asbestos into the building air; usually the best course of action is to leave such material alone, in place, and to cover it over to prevent damage.
Our photo above shows vinyl-asbestos or asphalt-asbestos floor tiles from the 1960s, some missing, others broken or in poor condition. Don't create a dusty demolition mess of such a floor. If a floor like this can not be left in place and simply covered, then there are safe-removal procedures that can and should be followed.
[Click to enlarge any image]
Above: textured ceiling paint that was applied in a building in the 1970s may contain asbestos.
The most-common question we receive from readers, often along with a photo of flooring, ceiling tile, drywall, or pipe insulation is "Do you think this contains asbestos?"
In our photo we see two layers of acoustic ceiling tiles dating to the 1940s. These ceiling tiles might contain asbestos.
The age of building and of the specific building product as well as country location all figure into a guess about whether or not it is likely to contain asbestos.
If an asbestos-suspect material is soft enough that you can create a powdery dust by mashing it between thumb and forefinger, it's friable. Leave such materials alone, un-disturbed.
If testing confirms that the material contains asbestos it may be best to encapsulate it in place or on occasion, such in an area where the material can't be protected from damage, it should be removed by a licensed, trained asbestos abatement contractor.
Intact, un-disturbed by sanding, grinding, sawing, chopping, etc., asbestos-containing material such as flooring and many ceiling products or drywall are not friable - the material does not readily release detectable levels of harmful asbestos into the air of the building where it is installed.
When possible the safest, least expensive, and most-recommended approach is to leave the material alone, in place, and to seal or cover it over with a new layer of material.
Photo above: asbestos cement roof shingles on a 1940s home in Port Jervis, New York. These shingles are not friable but may shed asbestos by weathering, power washing, or during demolition.
...
Continue reading at ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN BUILDINGS - home, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.
Or see these
DOES THIS MATERIAL CONTAIN ASBESTOS? at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.
Or see this
Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia
Try the search box just below, or if you prefer, post a question or comment in the Comments box below and we will respond promptly.
Search the InspectApedia website
Note: appearance of your Comment below may be delayed: if your comment contains an image, photograph, web link, or text that looks to the software as if it might be a web link, your posting will appear after it has been approved by a moderator. Apologies for the delay.
Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like.
You will not receive a notification when a response to your question has been posted.
Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response.
Our Comment Box is provided by Countable Web Productions countable.ca
In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.