FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ASBESTOS

Asbestos is a mineral fiber that occurs in rock and soil. Because of its fiber strength and heat resistance, asbestos has been used in various building construction materials for insulation and as a fire retardant. Asbestos has also been used in a wide range of manufactured goods, mostly in building materials (roofing shingles, ceiling and floor tiles, paper products, and asbestos cement products), friction products (automobile clutch, brake, and transmission parts), heat-resistant fabrics, packaging, gaskets, and coatings.

Generally, you can only tell whether a material contains asbestos simply by looking at it if it is labeled. If in doubt, treat the material as if it contains asbestos and leave it alone. Having your home inspected for asbestos-containing materials by a trained and accredited asbestos professional would be best.

If your home was built before 1980 and you're planning to remodel your home (remodeling can disturb building materials) or your home has damaged building materials (like crumbling drywall and insulation falling apart), you need to have those materials tested.

A trained and accredited asbestos professional should take samples for analysis since a professional knows what to look for and because releasing fibers may increase the health risk. Sampling can be more hazardous than leaving the material alone if done incorrectly. Taking samples yourself is not recommended.

If the building materials in your home aren’t damaged and won’t be disturbed, you do not need to have them tested for asbestos. Material that is in good condition and will not be disturbed (by remodeling, for example) should be left alone. 

• Drywall or Joint Compound

• Attic or Wall Insulation

• Popcorn Ceiling

• Vinyl Floor Tiles or Vinyl Sheet Flooring and Adhesives

• Hot Water and Steam Pipes Coated With Asbestos Material or Covered With an Asbestos Blanket or Tape

• Oil and Coal Furnaces and Door Gaskets With Asbestos Insulation

• Walls and Floors Around Wood-Burning Stoves Protected With Asbestos Paper, Millboard, or Cement Sheets

Exposure to asbestos increases your risk of developing lung disease. Lung disease symptoms may take many years to develop following exposure.

Three of the significant health effects associated with asbestos exposure are:

• Lung Cancer

• Mesothelioma - a Rare Form of Cancer That Is Found in the Thin Lining of the Lung, Chest, Abdomen, and Heart

• Asbestosis - a Serious Progressive, Long-Term, Non-cancer Disease of the Lungs