With asbestos being the construction material of choice for roofing, sheeting, pipes, fences, electrical insulation, guttering, pipes (and much more) throughout the 1900s, if your house was built before the 80s, it’s highly likely that your home will contain asbestos.
Though the only way to know for certain if a building, product or material contains asbestos is to conduct an asbestos test; there are a number of steps you can take to determine the likelihood your home does contain asbestos, such as consulting the Asbestos Product Database, downloading the Residential Asbestos Checklist or consulting an asbestos removal expert such as Asbestos Eliminator.
With the dangers of asbestos now well known, it’s important not to disturb or remove any materials in your home if you suspect they may contain asbestos.
Common asbestos materials in the home.
Though not an exhaustive list, here are a few common places you may find asbestos in your property:
- Splashbacks, tiles and benchtops
- Flooring, floor tiles and vinyl
- Fireplaces and heaters
- Electrical and meter boards
- Fences, eaves and guttering
- Roof and ceiling insulation
- Internal wall and external roof sheeting
- Mouldings and architraves
- Hot water insulation
- Outside structures such as toilets, sheds, garages or dog kennels
There are many products that contain asbestos, however, the most common types of asbestos you’re likely to find in your home are ‘fibro’ sheeting used on internal walls and for cladding, electrical switchboards, water draining pipes, roof shingles and guttering. Some homes may even still have asbestos insulation in the ceiling spaces.
How to identify asbestos in your home.
There are a number of resources designed to help homeowners, renovators and tradespeople identify asbestos in the home.
The Asbestos Products Database
This Australian-based Asbestos Products Database is a comprehensive online directory of construction materials that contain asbestos.
Each asbestos containing product is accompanied by a photo and description to help homeowners, renovators, tradespeople to identify any potential asbestos in Australian homes.
The Asbestos Awareness Residential Checklist
Created by the Asbestos Products Database, this simplified, downloadable Asbestos Awareness Residential Checklist is designed to help homeowners identify any asbestos-containing products and materials they may have in their homes.
This comprehensive checklist lists the places where asbestos may be found, room by room internally and area by area externally. This downloadable and printable asbestos checklist even contains photos to help you identify potential hazardous asbestos in your home.
Professional asbestos experts
It is important to put your health and safety first when determining if your home contains asbestos. If in doubt, contact an asbestos professional to inspect your home for you.
Asbestos Eliminator is fully certified and licensed to manage the entire asbestos removal process – from inspection to removal and disposal. You can contact us for a free quote if you suspect your home may contain asbestos.
Asbestos testing
To confirm if a home or building site is contaminated with asbestos products, a NATA accredited test will need to be conducted. This is the only way to determine for sure whether a product contains asbestos or not.
If you think there may be asbestos present in your home, then you must treat it with the utmost care and caution as a hazardous material that has the potential to cause serious health conditions. There are many resources to help you visually inspect and potentially identify asbestos in your home, though the only way to know for certain if your home does contain asbestos is to conduct an asbestos test. Do not disturb any suspected asbestos and do not attempt to remove any asbestos-containing materials or materials you suspect may contain asbestos.
For a no-obligation peace of mind quote on your asbestos identification, removal and disposal, get in touch with the asbestos experts at Asbestos Eliminators.
