How Do I Identify Asbestos Siding

The siding specialists at pj fitzpatrick have experience identifying asbestos siding.

How do i identify asbestos siding.

Asbestos hardly needs an introduction anymore as most homeowners should be schooled in the general dangers of disturbing and breathing asbestos fibers. Damaged asbestos siding however could release the hazardous fibers that cause lung disease. Contact our company for an estimate today. However there are ways you can determine whether it is likely that your shingles contain asbestos.

Identifying asbestos siding is impossible unless you have a sample tested in a lab. These shingles are generally 12 by 24 inches and the bottom tends to have a wave like pattern though that is not always the case. In older homes specifically asbestos may be found in many different materials from pipe insulation to flooring adhesive to roof shingles. Because fiber cement siding manufactured in north america after around 1978 was made without using asbestos in those later products and because those non asbestos fiber cement shingles included products that by eye were an exact visual match for their older asbestos containing brothers and sisters already installed a building built before 1978 and sided with cementious shingles.

However asbestos fibers can cause serious lung and respiratory problems if inhaled. Since asbestos was included as an additive when siding was manufactured for many decades the odds are good that original shingle siding on holder homes may contain asbestos. The siding may also contain asbestos if it is old with a wood grain texture to resemble cedar. Most older cement board products contain asbestos.

It is virtually impossible for anyone but a trained professional with a high powered microscope to tell definitively whether a shingle contains asbestos. Identifying asbestos siding is a major concern for many homeowners with older homes that have cement siding. If your siding fits either of these descriptions you should consider having it tested. The first option is to do nothing.

Roofing and siding shingles are among the most common materials to contain asbestos and will readily release fibers into the air if broken. Asbestos was used to make several exterior materials. Some homeowners opt to cover their asbestos containing siding with vinyl siding sheets or other materials in order to minimize risk instead of leaving their siding untouched. If your siding is in good condition and intact the asbestos poses a relatively low health risk to your home and the environment.