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Asbestos Testing

The Kansas City
Metroplex and
Surrounding Areas
913 649-8878

Toll-free
800 729-0257

Fax
267 222-7185

(Average fee: $125 - $175)

Asbestos is a mineral fiber that can only be 100% positively identified as to type and potential asbestos content with a special type of microscope. There are several types of asbestos fibers and in years past, they were added to a wide variety of products to strengthen them and to provide heat insulation and fire resistance. In years past, items like the brake shoes on cars and grandma's ironing cord often had an asbestos content. From studies of people that were exposed to breathing asbestos fibers over an extended period of time, we know that it can lead to increased health risks like: lung cancer, asbestosis (permanent scarring of the lung tissue), and mesothelimoa (cancer of the abdominal cavity and chest lining). The symptoms of these diseases don't usually surface until about 20-25 years after the first exposure.

After about the mid-1970's and the government's intervention, fewer building products with asbestos were manufactured, and those that still contain asbestos have to be labeled as such. Generally speaking, even if asbestos is present in the home, it is not usually a serious health problem unless the asbestos materials become damaged and release the fibers into the air. The best thing to do with asbestos material in good condition is to leave it alone! Disturbing it may cause a health hazard where none existed before.

Some of the more common building products in older homes that might have contained asbestos include:

• asbestos cement roofing, siding, and shingles

• steam pipes, boilers, and old furnace duct coverings

• resilient floor tiles and the adhesives used to install them

• soundproofing or decorative material sprayed on walls or ceilings

• patching, joint compounds, textured paint, or asbestos paper tape

• cementious sheeting or millboard used around fireplaces or wood stoves

You can't tell whether a material contains asbestos simply by looking at it, unless its labeled as such. If you are in doubt or if you are concerned about asbestos as a health hazard, our state-licensed asbestos inspectors can examine the home and identify potential areas of concern to contain asbestos. We will also take 2-3 random samplings from the most likely location for asbestos and get these samples laboratory analyzed for asbestos content.

Contact Holmes Inspection Company for more information on asbestos today!