How to Identify Asbestos Products
- 1). Examine the roofing on a home if it was built prior to 1980. If there are multiple layers of shingles on the roof, the original shingles may still be in place. Older asphalt shingles typically will contain some asbestos.
- 2). Determine when the plaster or finish on the walls in the home was added. Popcorn ceilings in older homes may contain asbestos, depending on the year it was applied.
- 3). Go to the basement and see if there is any tape wrapped around the heating pipes. Tape that looks old and is wrapped on a round pipe or duct will probably contain asbestos.
- 4). Look at the insulation in the attic for clues to what was used in the walls. Loose insulation or batt insulation that is used in walls can contain asbestos, depending on when it was installed.
- 5). Examine vinyl tiles that were installed on the wall, floor or even the ceiling. If you think that they may have been installed during the 1970s or earlier, they may contain asbestos.
- 6). Get a sample from each of the areas that could contain asbestos--gathered by a professional if you are not accustomed to collecting asbestos--and have them sent for testing.