If you don t know the age of the shingles inspect them for wear.
How to tell if roof shingles contain asbestos.
Determine when the shingles were installed on your roof.
Look at the joints.
When mixed with other materials asbestos can be hard to detect but in its regular form it comes in blue brown and white varieties.
To determine if your building has asbestos check areas where the material was most commonly used like the roof bathroom and basement.
It has a very distinct style as seen here.
Asbestos is a popular material that has been used to reinforce concrete shingles.
Asbestos sheets are often fixed together by aluminium runners held on by small nails without a point on the end.
Asbestos shingles were so common during the 20th century that almost any shingles installed between 1920 and 1986 probably include asbestos.
If they look old they might have asbestos fibers in them.
Also look around the siding roofing and soffit materials for small dimples or shallow craters on the surface which are signs of asbestos.
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.
This government guide contains a useful diagram to identify where asbestos may be present on your property.
Most older cement sheets contain asbestos.
Asbestos sheets are often fixed together by aluminium runners held on by blunt ended nails.
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.
How is it constructed.
Here are some ways to help identify if your garage roof contains asbestos.
Inside the sheets will be held together in a similar way by plastic or wooden runners.
Many garage roofs which contain asbestos are constructed using flat or corrugated sheets of cement.
What does it look like.
Most of the times asbestos roofing materials are not dangerous if not damaged and left undisturbed.
Therefore when deciding to get a sample do so with certain precautions.
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.
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.
The result of the test will lead you to the next step.
Mineral fiber probably the easiest to recognize of possible mesothelioma contributing materials is this product.
Look at the joints.
Accordingly if the material contains less than 1 asbestos it is safe and does not require removal.
Cement which contains asbestos is usually fairly thin with visible fibres running through it.
When taking a sample be very careful because asbestos dust can get into the lungs and cause cancer.
