How To Test Asbestos Siding

Talk to a siding specialist.

How to test asbestos siding.

Also look around the siding roofing and soffit materials for small dimples or shallow craters on the surface which are signs of asbestos. Contact an accredited testing lab in your area to analyze your sample. The area where the sample was taken is patched with plastic sheet drywall or tape to prevent suspected fibers from spreading. This prevents any stray fibers from becoming airborne.

Many manufacturers made their products to look like asbestos free products so it is not really possible to determine if your siding contains asbestos just by looks. Wet the material you will be sampling with a mister or spray bottle. Testing your siding for asbestos. While an expert lab test using polarized light microscopy may be needed to identify the specific type of asbestos fiber or to identify the presence of asbestos in air or dust samples many asbestos containing building products not only are obvious and easy to recognize but since there were not other look alike products that were not asbestos a visual identification of this material can be virtually a certainty in many cases.

Generally asbestos testing kits work in a two step process. You can easily send a sample to a lab is you suspect that it may contain asbestos. It s a latex combination exterior paint that can be used on masonry and siding. Shut off any heating or cooling units and close all doors and windows that might create a draft.

If your siding is in good condition and intact then your risk of exposure is low. First after purchasing a low cost kit at a home improvement center or online you obtain suspected asbestos from an area of your home. Contractors and inspectors or anyone identifying asbestos siding can t tell from just an on site inspection whether or not your siding really has asbestos in it. Second you mail the findings to a laboratory and after a few days the results are sent back to you.

Damaged asbestos siding however could release the hazardous fibers that cause lung disease. The only way to be sure if your siding has asbestos in it is to collect a sample and send it to an accredited testing lab. They can make educated guesses and may often be proven right but the only way to be sure is to have a sample of your siding tested for asbestos. They then send the samples to a qualified laboratory to test and determine whether they contain asbestos.

Cinder block semi gloss exterior paint is a base level solution for asbestos abatement. Testing shows it should perform adequately to prevent exposure to asbestos during its rated lifetime which is typically about 3 5 years. Use a utility knife or similar tool to cut a sample of the material. The asbestos network recommends bringing in a professional to collect samples.

Step by step check list for collections asbestos testing samples. If your siding fits either of these descriptions you should consider having it tested. A small sample of the material which might be or contain asbestos is placed in a sealable container to be sent to a lab for testing. The age of an home or the siding on it isn t.

To determine if your building has asbestos check areas where the material was most commonly used like the roof bathroom and basement.