How To Identify Asbestos Wall Sheeting

Below is an examples of plaster containing asbestos which looks much like non asbestos plaster.

How to identify asbestos wall sheeting.

Actinolite amosite brown asbestos anthophyllite chrysotile white asbestos crocidolite blue asbestos tremolite. Asbestos was added to plaster and drywall products for a number of reasons ranging from fire proofing to noise absorption. On the outside of buildings asbestos sheets were often joined together with aluminum runners. Asbestos has been linked to multiple health problems including a type of cancer called mesothelioma.

Other types of asbestos containing sheeting. While you can t easily tell if your walls are made from asbestos there are a few telltale signs that will lead you to organising further testing. Simply put you can t tell if a wall inside your home has asbestos by just looking at it. This is more specifically located around heating elements.

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. Asbestos can be located within the duct work of air conditioning re heating units. The absence of a label does not mean the material is asbestos free. Check the manufacturer and product name on the insulation label and do a web search to find out if.

Having asbestos tested will be able to provide a comprehensive result on whether the sheeting contains asbestos. Identifying possible asbestos materials 1. Asbestos sheeting identification can be presumed by getting an idea of how long ago the sheeting was installed before or after the 1990s and whether it was ever replaced. The government of victoria has published a list of asbestos containing products.

It is not possible to find out whether a material contains asbestos simply by looking at it. Ldb can be identified by looking at the rear side of the sheeting for the trade name asbestolux or duralux as shown in figure 1. The first picture identifies the control box where the re heating elements can be located. Ldb was often used as ceiling tiles sheets and for acoustic purposes.

If the plaster breaks or dries out with age it can release this respiratory hazard. Friable non friable construction period. The second picture shows the asbestos millboard lining which surrounds the air conditioning re heating elements. 1900 1920 1921 1930 1931 1940 1941 1950 1951 1960 1961 1970 1970 1980 1981 1990 1991 2000 2001 now pre 1900.

To identify asbestos in your walls a piece of the wall needs to be sent to a nata accredited testing facility which will then determine whether there is any asbestos in the walls of your home.