Homes built and/or renovated from 1930-1970 can contain asbestos materials. Even though materials containing asbestos were not manufactured after the laws were updated in the 1970's, materials already produced and stockpiled were allowed to still be used in construction. But why worry about the specific years of all the materials in your house? Just test them and be 100% confident.
I highlighted in yellow the results for the tile, which show it does have a small amount of asbestos chrysotile. The mastic, which we had several samples tested, did not show as having any asbestos. However, when we remediated the asbestos, we still had the mastic sealed in after the tile was removed.
Asbestos can be in vinyl flooring (the tiles themselves) and/or the mastic used to glue them to the floor. It can be used in the padding around hot pipes or as the insulation in attics. It can also have been used in exterior siding, and mixed in paint and compound to create a textured look. Honestly, it was a plentiful and cheap material, and possibly could have been mixed in and used anywhere in an old home.
Since we had a couple of ceilings and walls with texture/popcorn paint, we decided to get it tested before doing a project where we would scrape and sand it off the walls. Since we would definitely be aerating it it makes perfect sense to just get it tested first.
If you don't want to hire a professional to come and test your house, the next best thing is to find a company you can send samples to for testing.
I have used this company before and I was very happy with the results:
They also have a combo asbestos/lead/mold testing kit which is very convenient. If you are testing for asbestos, you likely have lead paint since it was used around the same time as asbestos in construction. Best to get it tested all at once and save money on multiple test kits.
When I sent samples away for testing, I sent a sample of vinyl tile I knew contained asbestos just to see what the results from the lab would say. I knew the tile was asbestos tile based on pictures I matched online and from an asbestos removal company who tested it for me. However, I was mainly worried about the mastic behind the tile, since that often contains asbestos as well and is more difficult to remove from flooring. The remediation company didn't test the mastic since they treat it as thought it contains asbestos when removing it whether it tested positive or not.
When you send samples away for testing, it is recommended to send several samples of the same material from different areas. For example, when I was testing the vinyl tile and mastic, we sent in several samples from different areas of the floor.
The testing kit comes with instructions of how to collect a sample safely. Mainly, you wear gloves, spray it with water before disturbing it, and you should also wear a mask that is rated for asbestos fibers. Luckily for me, we had pieces of tile, paint and other materials that had already broken off that we could just collect and put in the bags. We still used gloves/water/mask but didn't have to break off samples (and possibly create aerated fibers).
The asbestos kit looks like this:
Inside you will find a form to fill out. You have to note where each sample was collected and then label the zip lock bags appropriately.
The samples in bag look like this:
When you purchase a test kit, you can select the turn around time for the testing. They offer next-day, 1-day and five-day options.
To get the results for your test, you will be given a log-in to their website. From there you can look at the results. One thing I really liked about this company is that they tested every layer of whatever we sent. Below is an example of what the report looks like:
There was no extra fee for testing each layer of the sample. They have identified that the sample in the picture above does not contain any asbestos (see the highlighted yellow text above). They have also identified that it does contain cellulose fiber and non-fibrous material. Cellulose fiber is a construction material made from plant fibers and in not considered harmful for humans. It is often used in insultation.
When you do have a sample that contains asbestos, the report looks like this:
I hope this post helps any who are hesitant to get their house tested. The process is very smooth and does not take much time. Also, no worries if your sample has several layers. The testing company apparently will test all layers at no additional cost to you.
We did eventually get the asbestos tile in the basement remediated by a professional company. That process will be described in a future post.
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