Asbestos testing consists of two parts – 1) sampling the material you want to test, then 2) sending the material in to an asbestos lab for the analytical work. In many instances an individual can do the sampling themselves and save a fair amount of money. Asbestos lab fees are often in the $10 to $20 range. You can shop around for the lab work and possibly same money in that respect too.
(Note this process is for testing materials like ceiling texture or insulation; if you want to test the air then a different type of asbestos test is required.)
Asbestos Testing Basic Procedure
1. Gather your supplies – Ziploc bags, marker or sharpie, a spray bottle with water (optional), and a cutting or scraping tool.
2. Locate the material you want to test and try to find a “hidden” spot to sample, such as in a closet, pantry, behind the light switch, etc… so that there is less cosmetic damage.
3. Try to avoid damaging the material too much in the sampling process. You can wet it down with a spray bottle to avoid generating too much dust. Sometimes the act of sampling can cause more asbestos fibers to be released than if the material was just left alone.
4. Cut or scrape a quarter to half-dollar size of material and place it in a Ziploc bag.
5. Use the marker or sharpie to label the bag. You might number the sample (1,2,3…), identify the material (ceiling texture, insulation, etc…), and note the location that you sampled (bedroom closet, attic, etc…). Each type of material should go into a different bag.
6. Once you have collected all the samples you want, contact a lab to discuss pricing and determine what paperwork you need to submit. Sometimes all you need is just a letter stating the address, date of sampling, and the list of samples descriptions. Pricing can be as low as $6-$8 per sample, but many labs do not like dealing with individuals and the pricing may be closer to $10 or $20 or even $40 per sample. If you shop around you can get it closer to $10.
7. A list of US government accredited asbestos testing labs can be found at http://ts.nist.gov/Standards/scopes/plmtm.htm.
You can check out this article on interpreting asbestos testing reports to get an idea of what your lab report will look like. No matter whether you do the sampling yourself or hire someone else to do it, you will need to evaluate the lab results yourself and decide the best course of action.
Please note that there is no point in purchasing “asbestos test kits” from the store. These are just sampling kits, and all you really need are Ziploc bags. Ziploc bags are often much cheaper than asbestos test kits.
Pros and Cons of Do-it-Yourself Asbestos Tests
Do-it-yourself testing is of limited legal standing if you want to pursue legal action – there is only your word that the material came from the place you say it did. You could have got it at your neighbors’ or wherever. A professional third-party helps to certify that the material in question really did come from a specific location.
Self-testing can be a good preliminary test though and help you decide whether it is worth it to bring in the professionals. If there is no asbestos present, why pay someone $100 or $200 to come put a piece of material in a Ziploc bag?
Another disadvantage to self-testing is that a professional asbestos inspector may be better at locating materials that are likely to contain asbestos. A professional, however, can still be just bad at his job or don’t really care. The quality of asbestos inspectors can vary quite a bit. Many don’t like dealing with individuals and prefer to do corporate work.
Why Asbestos Test
You can fairly inexpensively determine if asbestos present. You can always bring in professionals later, but you may not need to if you already determined that there is no asbestos there.
If you plan to buy or sell a property, testing yourself may give you important information that can affect your decision making and bargaining.
If you work in a public building or live in an apartment you may be concerned that the landlord is not revealing all the facts. There is often no requirement for the building owner to alert you to the presence of asbestos, so you may have to take matters into your own hands if you are concerned. This is especially true if any remodeling or renovation work is going on.
NESHAP asbestos regulations require that the landlord certify that any materials being disturbed in renovation or remodeling be asbestos free. If the materials are not asbestos-free, then special procedures must be taken to prevent asbestos contamination and asbestos exposure. Depending upon your locality, many landlords ignore these regulations.
Conclusion
Asbestos testing can be a relatively inexpensive process that one can easily do themselves. Basically all you do is put the material into a Ziploc bag and send it off to lab for analysis. The lab analysis often costs around $10 per sample.
Links
Check out our page on Asbestos Testing and our page on How To Interpret Asbestos Testing Results.
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