Asbestos home testing is a process of testing the presence of asbestos in homes in general and building materials in particular. Asbestos is a mineral fiber resistant to heat, chemicals, and electricity. Building and insulation industries made widespread use of asbestos in their operations. Asbestos is commonly used in your homes in one form or the other. Some building materials that may contain asbestos materials are vinyl floor tiles; patching compounds textured paints, furnace and stovepipe, insulation, stove door gaskets, roofing shingles, cement, and siding material.

Asbestos was most commonly used until early 1970s in various home appliances, such as toasters, clothes dryers, and hair dryers. Now, government has laid norms for the use of asbestos and its exposure. Asbestos home testing is essential because exposure to and inhalation of Asbestos fibers is dangerous to health. Friable asbestos materials in homes, industries and appliances could lead to serious asbestos related diseases. Following people are more vulnerable to Asbestos-related diseases:

 Works in industries and mines
 Construct Buildings
 Make ceilings
 Perform Ceiling insulation

Apart from these persons all other persons who live in houses having asbestos contaminated building material or are involved in use or repair of appliances and products that contain asbestos can also contact asbestos diseases. This makes asbestos home testing a necessary process for all homes that are built before 1980s and all the people who are using appliances and or products that could contain asbestos materials.

Health Hazards Of Asbestos

Undamaged Asbestos cannot cause any health hazards. When asbestos is exposed to hitting, rubbing, or extreme vibration, its wear and tear occurs and shows signs of abrasion. Asbestos is only harmful, when damaged, and its fiber gets mixed with air. You can determine the status and stability of asbestos products by asbestos home testing. Asbestos home testing is compulsory because asbestos exposure could lead to fatal diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma cancers. Asbestos may harm you only if you inhale asbestos fiber. There are no safe levels of asbestos exposure and even short-term exposure to asbestos creates a possibility of your catching any disease caused by asbestos.

Removing Asbestos From Home

It is not possible to perform asbestos testing in home. You need qualified professional to test the presence of asbestos in your home. Asbestos abatement is the process of determining the status of asbestos material and taking corrective measures for preventing risk of asbestos exposure. It is not necessary that you have to remove all the asbestos material from your home. You can also opt for economic measures such as enclosures and encapsulation for preventing the risk of asbestos exposure even without removing the Asbestos Containing Materials.

Asbestos Testing – Why?

Asbestos testing seeks to detect the presence of asbestos in any given material. When any asbestos containing material is disturbed, it releases very thin invisible fibers that may remain suspended in the air for many hours, and have a causative association with a plethora of disease manifestations involving the epithelial lining of human visceral cavities, including the deadly mesothelioma. Much asbestos containing material is being unearthed nowadays due to intense remodeling and renovation of old structures, dating back to days when asbestos was extensively used in construction.

Asbestos Testing- When?

EPA’s Sample List of Suspect Asbestos-Containing Materials Exit Ecology lists the possible candidates for asbestos testing. When in doubt, err on the side of caution. Any surfacing agent or thermal insulation material used in buildings constructed earlier than 1980 is presumed as containing asbestos (WISHA Interim Interpretive Memorandum #99-1-C, January 19, 1999), until proved otherwise by laboratory analysis.

Asbestos Sampling

Precautions

Before collection:

- By either specialized laboratory personnel or under guidance.

During collection:

- Minimize dispersal of fibers
- Avoid heating/cooling draughts
- Minimize the handling time and amount
- Spray the sample with fine water and/or detergent droplets
- Use a sharp knife to cut neatly through the whole depth
- Place a plastic spread below the collection area
- Minimize exposure to self/those in the vicinity
- Handle the sample alone
- Wear gloves and mask
- Drop neatly into an appropriate container

After collection:

- Minimize dispersal
- Proper sealing of the container
- Patching of the sampled area
- Proper disposal of the plastic spread
- Cleaning of the area
- Label the sample meticulously

Asbestos Testing

Asbestos testing is carried out by a certified laboratory using polarized light microscopy (PLM) as per the EPA recommendations.

Asbestos Testing- Results and Interpretation

This form of asbestos testing is qualitative as well as quantitative .The results are given as the percentage (1 to 100) and type of asbestos (chrysotile or white asbestos, Amosite or brown asbestos, and Crocidolite or blue asbestos).

Asbestos testing is the method to determine the presence of asbestos in the industrial processes, residential buildings and objects. Asbestos had been commonly used as construction materials in buildings till few years back. A mineral compound, asbestos is the common name for a group of six naturally occurring fibrous minerals found in certain rock formations. During mining and processing, asbestos produces very thin and light fibers that are easily released into the air.

Once released into the air, the asbestos particles can remain suspended for a long time. These fibers are invisible to human eyes and when inhaled can cause serious health problems including lung cancer. This is the reason why asbestos testing is a necessary safeguard for people handling and working with asbestos materials. People who are handling asbestos or products containing asbestos, including those involved in mining, producing or processing asbestos are at a great health risk. Natural resources containing asbestos and pipes made of cement can contaminate even drinking water.

Asbestos testing is must and strongly suggested for the areas where asbestos related industries were functional or asbestos was used as a material.

Establishing the presence of Asbestos

We can safely assume that a material is asbestos or contains asbestos unless it is clearly otherwise on the label or is verified by the manufacturer. Alternatively, it has to undergo a process of asbestos testing to verify the absence or presence of asbestos materials. Asbestos testing is especially necessary if such material was on the EPA’s Sample List of Suspect Asbestos-Containing Materials Exit Ecology and was manufactured with asbestos in the past.

Asbestos Sampling

Asbestos sampling is the precursor for asbestos testing. Asbestos sampling and analyzing should be undertaken in a laboratory by a qualified personnel. It is dangerous to attempt this yourself, without acquiring sufficient information on the process and without proper precautions. If access to a laboratory is not possible and you wish to take the sample yourself, you must be very careful not to release asbestos fibers into the air or onto yourself.

Method of Asbestos Testing

Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM) analysis of suspect material by specialized microscopes is a requirement of the EPA for asbestos testing. The results of asbestos testing establish the percentage and type of asbestos present in the sample material.