For more than 25 years, Now Environmental Services has helped the people Federal Way learn about the health hazards of asbestos. Asbestos can be found throughout many homes in the area, as it was a very common construction material from the 1930s to the late 1980s. When asbestos goes airborne, it can lead to several forms of harmful illness and cancers that can be debilitating or even lead to death. Are you concerned about asbestos in your home? Here are five common places to look for asbestos.
#1: Cement Siding
Cement siding was a popular choice for many homes at the turn of the last century. Its durability and ability to resist the effects of weather, like rain, wind, and snow made it a common choice for home builders. Typically, the cement siding that is made with asbestos has a distinct appearance. The bottom of each siding panel has a wavy bottom and a striated surface. This siding is nearly impervious to damage, and so long as the panels remain intact and no asbestos becomes separated from the panel and goes airborne, these panels can be left in place on your home.
#2: Flooring Tiles
Certain patterns of flooring tiles that were common in the 1950s and 1960s were made from vinyl, rubber, linoleum, asphalt, and asbestos. These tiles often have a distinct striped and streaked pattern that uses multiple colors of paint to create the streaking effect. Typically, these panels were 9” x 9”. For many homes, these tiles were simply tiled over during renovation and remodeling projects. It’s important to be on the lookout for these tiles while redoing the floors in your home.
#3: Asbestos Roofing
Like cement siding, asbestos was used in roofing tiles because of its durability and resistance to flames and heat. The average life expectancy for an asbestos shingle roof is anywhere from 30 to 50 years. Typically, these shingles are very brittle and are difficult to work on if you are not familiar with the material. These shingles are not harmful unless they are broken and the asbestos is exposed to the air. To ensure the long-term security of your asbestos roof, you can apply a spray polyurethane foam over it to seal in the shingles.
#4: Insulation For Pipes
Clamber into the crawl space of an older home, and you’ll likely see the pipes coated with a woven cloth material. Asbestos was made into a fabric that could be applied to piping to use as a means of insulating the pipe from heat and cold. This wrap looks like a piece of textured paper made from a gray-white material. It can also look like a paste, plaster, or cement-like product that has been applied to joints and bends in the pipe, or patches in the body of the insulation.
#5: Acoustic Ceiling Tiles and Attic Insulation
These materials were often stapled into place onto the ceiling. Typically, the attic insulation is a gray-brown or silver-gold colored material that is puffy, and loose in appearance. If installed properly, asbestos-based Zonolite Vermiculite attic insulation is generally safe to leave in your home until it can be abated by a company like Now Environmental Services. However, if it has been packed loosely into joists or studs, this can be dangerous, as the particles can go airborne.
If you’re concerned that your home may have asbestos in it, don’t wait to call Now Environmental Services. We offer asbestos testing to homeowners in Federal Way. We carry out comprehensive AHERA asbestos surveys to ensure that all sources of asbestos in your home are identified. We can also help you lay out an abatement plan to take to an asbestos abatement service. Ensure the health of you and the loved ones in your home and call us now for a free over-the-phone asbestos consultation.
