How Do I Know If My House Has Asbestos Siding

You can get exposed to asbestos if the building materials containing asbestos get damaged or broken in any way.

How do i know if my house has asbestos siding.

If a siding company removes an outer layer of siding and finds an older layer of asbestos cement siding beneath the standard procedure is simply to cover it over with new siding rather than remove it. Even re siding over existing asbestos siding that is left in place requires approval and safe handling. To determine if your building has asbestos check areas where the material was most commonly used like the roof bathroom and basement. Check for tears abrasions or water damage.

According to the vinyl siding institute a national trade organization asbestos siding is a regulated material and the appropriate environmental agency or local building code official. The only reliable way to know if your home contains asbestos is to hire an environmental consulting firm or asbestos building inspector for asbestos testing. Also look around the siding roofing and soffit materials for small dimples or shallow craters on the surface which are signs of asbestos. If your siding fits either of these descriptions you should consider having it tested.

The danger comes from asbestos material that has been damaged over time. Most siding companies are well experienced at techniques for covering over existing asbestos cement siding with new vinyl aluminum or fiber cement siding. So it s important that you get your house tested for asbestos if it was constructed before the 1980s. Just to make things more complicated asbestos siding doesn t always look the same.

Asbestos that crumbles easily if handled or that has been sawed scraped or sanded into a powder is likely to release asbestos fibers and create a health hazard. Identifying asbestos siding 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. If you aren t sure about the exact composition of your siding you should check to make sure. The siding may also contain asbestos if it is old with a wood grain texture to resemble cedar.

If you don t know the age of the shingles inspect them for wear. These shingles are generally 12 by 24 inches and the bottom tends to have a wave like pattern though that is not always the case. Determine when the shingles were installed on your roof. Vinyl flooring tiles with millboard or paper were often made of asbestos.

Vinyl flooring or sheeting. If they look old they might have asbestos fibers in them. You can t see or smell asbestos but exposure to loose fibers can cause lung disease such as mesothelioma asbestosis or lung cancer. How do i know if asbestos is in my house.

They ll take fingernail sized samples and test them in a laboratory. Testing your siding for asbestos. Have an asbestos abatement contractor do it for you. Although homes built after the 1980s are generally safe some newer builds may also have asbestos lurking in the siding.