How Do I Identify Asbestos Siding

If your siding is in good condition and intact the asbestos poses a relatively low health risk to your home and the environment.

How do i identify asbestos siding.

These shingles are generally 12 by 24 inches and the bottom tends to have a wave like pattern though that is not always the case. Asbestos was also put into cement used on the exterior of buildings to help insulate the. We re available to discuss your asbestos concerns and perform siding repairs or replacements. The siding specialists at pj fitzpatrick have experience identifying asbestos siding.

Testing your siding for asbestos. Asbestos hardly needs an introduction anymore as most homeowners should be schooled in the general dangers of disturbing and breathing asbestos fibers. Identifying asbestos siding is impossible unless you have a sample tested in a lab. It is virtually impossible for anyone but a trained professional with a high powered microscope to tell definitively whether a shingle contains asbestos.

If your siding fits either of these descriptions you should consider having it tested. Because fiber cement siding manufactured in north america after around 1978 was made without using asbestos in those later products and because those non asbestos fiber cement shingles included products that by eye were an exact visual match for their older asbestos containing brothers and sisters already installed a building built before 1978 and sided with cementious shingles. However there are ways you can determine whether it is likely that your shingles contain asbestos. Contact our company for an estimate today.

Damaged asbestos siding however could release the hazardous fibers that cause lung disease. Since asbestos was included as an additive when siding was manufactured for many decades the odds are good that original shingle siding on holder homes may contain asbestos. Asbestos was used to make several exterior materials. However asbestos fibers can cause serious lung and respiratory problems if inhaled.

The siding may also contain asbestos if it is old with a wood grain texture to resemble cedar. Roofing and siding shingles are among the most common materials to contain asbestos and will readily release fibers into the air if broken. In older homes specifically asbestos may be found in many different materials from pipe insulation to flooring adhesive to roof shingles. Most older cement board products contain asbestos.