If you are shopping around for a home or you already live in an older home, you might want to test it for asbestos. Asbestos is a dangerous composition of fibrous minerals like chrysotile, amosite and tremolite. It was once used because it is fire-resistant, long-lasting and durable, but it has been proven to be hazardous to your health, even being linked to certain cancers. Here are some areas where asbestos might be hiding, from the soil to the tiles.
Exterior Building Materials
The first area of your home to look out for in terms of asbestos is the building materials outside your home, such as the windows, siding and roofing. These materials used to be made from asbestos because the fibres would hold tightly together and would not burn as rapidly as the alternative materials. Keep in mind that asbestos would need to be disturbed in order to reach the air where someone could accidentally inhale it, so even if traces are found, you might not need to get it removed just yet.
Soil
Asbestos in soil isn't talked about as often because it tends to not pose as much of a danger to your health, but you should still be aware of its presence. If you are going to be doing excavating on your property, it is safest to have an asbestos company test the soil first, then decide if asbestos soil removal will be necessary. You should never attempt to remove asbestos soil or other materials on your own, so make sure you hire a professional.
Interior Building Materials
There are a lot of materials inside your home that could also contain asbestos. These would need to be older materials, since it is no longer used in newer building materials. However, if you have an older home, materials like caulking, glazing, ceiling tiles, flooring tiles, linoleum and wallpaper might contain asbestos. Similar to other locations, if you think there is even a slim chance of it, call an asbestos company that is able to test it. Do this before any home renovations as you don't want to disturb these materials if there is a risk of asbestos exposure.
Insulation
Insulation happens to be one of the most common places in your home to find asbestos. Insulation with asbestos would help to reduce fire hazards, improve the effectiveness of the insulation and to block noise. It was more commonly used in multi-family units, such as apartment buildings, but this doesn't mean the insulation in your house doesn't also have it.
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