Identifying Asbestos in Your Home



Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral found in the top of earth, containing strong fibers that are highly long lasting, fire resistant and insulating. Asbestos fibers are 50 in order to 200 times thinner than human hair, can float in the air for a long period, be invisible and be inhaled into the lung area. Current scientific and medical evidence indicates that just residing in a building that contains asbestos poisoning is not dangerous so long as the asbestos is not damaged or disturbed. It may be hard to tell whether your home has supplies containing asbestos, just by looking. To help a person identify asbestos products, asbestos fibers can be either firmly or loosely bound in many products once used in the construction industry.

Firmly-bound asbestos

Also called bonded asbestos, fiber-cement products used to contain asbestos materials, firmly embedded in a hardened cement medium. Nowadays, asbestos has been replace with cellulose fibers within fiber-cement products. Asbestos-cement products that may be found around homes built prior to the 1970s, include:

  • Flat or corrugated sheeting
  • Roof shingles
  • Water or flue pipes
  • Imitation brick siding
  • Flexible building boards
  • Textured paint
  • The backing of vinyl ground coverings
  • Vinyl floor tiles
  • Plaster patching blends

Loosely-bound asbestos

You may find the loose (or 'friable') type of asbestos fibers in older styles of insulation utilized in home heaters and stoves, as well as roof insulation products. Today, glass fibers have replaced asbestos within insulation products.

What should you do if you discover asbestos?

Usually, the presence of asbestos-containing materials is no cause for alarm and you will leave the materials in place. For example, if internal asbestos-cement sheet walls have been in good condition and coated with paint, they don't pose a health risk. External asbestos-cement roofs and siding need not be replaced unless they are broken or the actual surfaces are damaged. Asbestos-cement construction products can end up being maintained, removed or disposed of safely, as long while you take certain precautions to prevent the release associated with asbestos fibers or dust.