Medallion Healthy Homes - Attic or Crawlspace Packages

Asbestos Testing

What is Asbestos Testing?

Asbestos Testing is the process of looking for Asbestos; testing areas where it may reside in both homes and buildings including:

Heating ductwork & Furnaces – Ducts may be largely made of Asbestos. As it starts to break down, Asbestos fibers are blown into the home and can be inhaled. Also, your furnace may be lined with Asbestos, or sit on Asbestos padding
Plumbing – Pipes may be wrapped with Asbestos, especially if connected to radiators or other steam-producing elements
Electrical Wiring – Older tube wires may be covered with Asbestos
Fireplaces – Prior to 1978, artificial logs were manufactured using Asbestos
Crawlspaces or Basement Floors – Asbestos fibers can collect on the ground, or floor below ductwork or piping
Walls & Ceilings – May contain blown-in insulation that contains Asbestos, especially those built prior to 1981
Flooring – Vinyl floor tiles may contain asbestos
Roofing & Siding – Older roof shingles may be made from asbestos mixed with cement or asphalt

Asbestos Testing should be carried out by professionals

Asbestos Facts Low levels of asbestos fibers are found in soil, water and air, both naturally and from man-made sources Asbestos fibers are up to 200 times thinner than a human hair Asbestos may not be visible to the naked eye Working on materials that contain asbestos may release asbestos fibers into the air Asbestos becomes most dangerous when fibers are inhaled Inhaling large amounts of asbestos fibers may cause asbestosis (lung scarring that inhibits breathing), mesothelioma (cancer of chest lining or abdominal cavity) and lung cancer Workers who were exposed to asbestos during its usage period are now only beginning to show the symptoms of the various diseases it can cause Being exposed to even small amounts of Asbestos over time can still have adverse health affects Smoking, combined with asbestos inhalation increased the risk of lung cancer For more information on the health risks of asbestos, visit Health Canada’s Environmental Contaminants Web Section

Vermiculite Vermiculite is the most common residential type of thermal insulation that might contain asbestos. It is a mica-like mineral that expands like popcorn when heated. Much of it installed between 1923 and 1990 could be contaminated with asbestos. About 80% of all vermiculite produced before 1990 was from a mine near Libby, Montana. There is also a natural deposit of asbestos in this mine resulting in vermiculite that is contaminated with asbestos fibers. The Zonolite Company produced the vermiculite until it was purchased by WR Grace & Co in 1963.
Since much of the vermiculite installed before 1990 came from the contaminated Montana mine, it's best to treat it the same as known asbestos containing materials. Most importantly, avoid anything that could disturb the insulation or distribute the fibers throughout a building.
Asbestos Pipe Insulation Because it insulates so well, asbestos was used for many years to insulate furnaces, boilers, tanks and pipes. A variety of formulas or methods were used to create asbestos insulation. One method was air cell pipe covering, in which layers of plain and corrugated asbestos paper alternated to create the insulation material. If air cell pipe insulation containing asbestos is present but is in good condition, it may be best to do nothing except inspect the material regularly for damage. As long as it remains intact, the asbestos fibers will not be released. If, however, damage is present, or if the home or building will be renovated, then it is time to call in a professional contractor or asbestos abatement company. Under no circumstances should untrained people handle or remove asbestos, as the potential for health hazards is high.
Asbestos Duct Tape Currently, duct tape is free of asbestos, but the old adhesive tape, generally white in color, used in the duct work of buildings built before 1980, may contain these cancer causing fibers. If found in the home, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advises homeowners to not disturb the tape, but instead, have this potential health hazard hermetically sealed to further avoid the release of asbestos fibers into the household environment. When this old duct tape is broken or damaged, it's highly recommended that a professional service company be enlisted to remove the asbestos from the home as its dust may be released into the air and inhaled into the lungs. Once asbestos is introduced into the body, a person's chances of developing mesothelioma, an extremely fatal form of cancer that affects the lining around the lungs and other organs, and other asbestos-related diseases increases greatly. People should also be aware of the environment in which they work. Another major concern is for older public buildings where the duct work, among other features, may not have been updated or replaced safely, as a great deal of its asbestos removal has not met the current federal standards, allowing it to be gradually introduced into the work setting. As aging asbestos is left in place, there is no guarantee of its safety, and it may find its way into the air when it is disrupted or begins to deteriorate. Any exposure to asbestos has its health risks, as no safe level of contact with this cancer causing fiber has ever been established. The mere introduction of asbestos could pose a problem to an individual's wellbeing.