asbestos????

Question

How do I tell if the outside of my house is abestos or other type of siding?

My home was built in 1950.

Answer 1

The easiest way would be to send a sample off to a lab for verification. However, as a homeowner, you are exempt from many of the regulations regarding maintenance on Asbestos Containing Material (ACM). There are many qualified labs that can perform the analysis. Costs will range from $15-$50per sample, depending on where you send the sample.

Other areas of ACM may include the mastic between the transite panels, spray on mastic on interior roofing, linoleum tile and mastic or floor tiles and mastic.

But, if your siding is the slate type of material (about 1/4 thick, by about 18" x 9"), it is generally a ACM. You could assume it to be ACM if you are doing work on it.

States regulate who can sample for ACM. So, you have to be careful if you send a sample to the lab. Do not break a piece off for analysis if you can pick a piece off the ground. Seal it up in a baggie and take or mail it to a lab for analysis.

Answer 2

Asbestos siding is easy to recognize. It is typically a shingle that has vertical ridges on it (probably about a foot high and two feet long). The alternatives are stucco (looks like cement), bricks or stone (easy to spot), or siding that is long strips of wood or of aluminum (about 4 inches high and many feet long).

Asbestos siding has the fiber bonded inside it so it is not a breathing danger unless you drill into it and raise dust. If you get it removed it may need to be done by a licensed asbestos mover since the take-down may raise a lot of dust.

Answer 3

Asbestos (a misapplication of Latin: asbestos "quicklime" from Greek ἄσβεστος: a, "not" and sbestos, "extinguishable") describes any of a group of minerals that can be fibrous, many of which are metamorphic and are hydrous magnesium silicates. These minerals, together with their occurrences, uses, and associated hazards, have been discussed in detail by Guthrie and Mossman (1993).

The name is derived for its historical use in lamp wicks; the resistance of asbestos to fire has long been exploited for a variety of purposes. Asbestos was used in fabrics such as Egyptian burial cloths and Charlemagne's tablecloth (which according to legend, he threw in a fire to clean). Asbestos occurs naturally in many forms (see below); it is mined from metamorphic rocks.

When asbestos is used for its resistance to fire or heat, the fibers are often mixed with cement or woven into fabric or mats. Asbestos is used in brake shoes and gaskets for its heat resistance, and in the past was used on electric oven and hotplate wiring for its electrical insulation at elevated temperature, and in buildings for its flame-retardant and insulating properties, tensile strength, flexibility, and resistance to chemicals. The inhalation of some kinds of asbestos fibers, however, can cause a number of serious illnesses, including cancer. Many uses of asbestos are banned in many countries

Answer 4

Siding and even roof shingles were common with asbestos.

Answer 5

The only way is to have it tested