how to test for Asbestos

In the next few weeks we are planning some minor remodels – lifting the carpets in an old garage conversion and downsizing a laundry to make way for a new pantry.

It’s all fairly straightforward stuff. But because the house was built in the ’50s, and then renovated slightly in the ’60s, the word on my mind is the big A – asbestos.

It was heightened this week by a story about asbestos being found in electricity-meter boxes, reminding everyone of just how pervasive the use of asbestos was in older houses. It is an issue that is still unfolding.

Asbestos was used in everything from fencing to fire doors. For images of some of the products that contain asbestos, see here.

If you own an older house, it probably all sounds a bit depressing. The good news is that many asbestos products are said to pose little risk as long as they are in good condition and left untouched.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is paint them, where appropriate, and leave them in place.

But when people first buy a house they are, understandably, very keen to rip in and renovate, and maybe even take a few risks.

But testing for asbestos is simple. It costs about $100 a sample, depending on where you have it tested.

You can send small samples through the mail, as long as they are double bagged in a sealable bag such as a zip-locked sandwich bag. This week I posted off two samples of suspect products around my own house – some lino-looking tiles that lurk underneath some very unattractive green carpet squares in the garage conversion and some fibre cement lining board.

read more at: http://smh.domain.com.au/blogs/talking-property/how-to-test-for-asbestos-20121030-28h41.html

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