The area where the sample was taken is patched with plastic sheet drywall or tape to prevent suspected fibers from spreading.
How to test siding for asbestos.
Pre paid postage envelope was included in the kit.
The only way to be sure whether your siding contains asbestos is to have it tested.
Check the manufacturer and product name on the insulation label and do a web search to find out if it contains asbestos.
Second you mail the findings to a laboratory and after a few days the results are sent back to you.
Step by step check list for collections asbestos testing samples.
Simply place a one inch by one inch piece of the building material you wish to test for example ceiling tile floor tile roofing etc.
First after purchasing a low cost kit at a home improvement center or online you obtain suspected asbestos from an area of your home.
Shut off any heating or cooling units and close all doors and windows that might create a draft.
Use a utility knife or similar tool to cut a sample of the material.
The name has its origin in the greek word for inextinguishable.
The date of the building or material can also tell you a lot about asbestos risk.
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.
A highly effective and inexpensive fire retardant material and thermal and acoustic insulator asbestos was used extensively in home construction from the early 1940s through the 1970s.
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.
The asbestos network recommends bringing in a professional to collect samples.
Wet the material you will be sampling with a mister or spray bottle.
Check the national voluntary laboratory accreditation program for a list of epa certified asbestos testing lab that will take your sample and follow their instructions for submission.
You can easily send a sample to a lab is you suspect that it may contain asbestos.
Generally asbestos testing kits work in a two step process.
They then send the samples to a qualified laboratory to test and determine whether they contain asbestos.
