How To Tell If Roof Shingles Contain Asbestos

Asbestos is a popular material that has been used to reinforce concrete shingles.

How to tell if roof shingles contain asbestos. Cement which contains asbestos is usually fairly thin with visible fibres running through it. The only way to safely know whether the roof tiles contain asbestos or not is to have a sample professionally checked under a microscope that uses polarized light. How is it constructed. What does it look like.

To determine if your building has asbestos check areas where the material was most commonly used like the roof bathroom and basement. If you don t know the age of the shingles inspect them for wear. Look at the joints. Inside the sheets will be held together in a similar way by plastic or wooden runners.

Look at the joints. This government guide contains a useful diagram to identify where asbestos may be present on your property. Determine when the shingles were installed on your roof. The risk here is quite low in fact it is very difficult to determine if the shingles contain asbestos roofing material without a lab test.

Asbestos sheets are often fixed together by aluminium runners held on by blunt ended nails. If they look old they might have asbestos fibers in them. On roofs themselves asbestos cement can be frequently found in the form of panels gutters insulation roof shingles siding downpipes or the entire roof itself. Therefore when deciding to get a sample do so with certain precautions.

The surface will also have a texture and contain dimples or craters. It has a very distinct style as seen here. Here are some ways to help identify if your garage roof contains asbestos. Accordingly if the material contains less than 1 asbestos it is safe and does not require removal.

Many garage roofs which contain asbestos are constructed using flat or corrugated sheets of cement. Also look around the siding roofing and soffit materials for small dimples or shallow craters on the surface which are signs of asbestos. Mineral fiber probably the easiest to recognize of possible mesothelioma contributing materials is this product. Most older cement sheets contain asbestos.

When mixed with other materials asbestos can be hard to detect but in its regular form it comes in blue brown and white varieties. The result of the test will lead you to the next step. Asbestos shingles were so common during the 20th century that almost any shingles installed between 1920 and 1986 probably include asbestos. According to roofers taking care of an asbestos roof requires a different approach so that id does not become a health hazard to the residents.

Asbestos sheets are often fixed together by aluminium runners held on by small nails without a point on the end. It is also important to be concerned if the material used contains asbestos.