How to Test for Asbestos With a DIY Testing Kit

If you've heard of asbestos, you likely know that it's no longer welcome in your home. Both the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognize asbestos as a health hazard and have set strict regulations around it. That's great news for owners of new homes, but what about older homes that potentially still have old asbestos materials? Learning how to test for asbestos and what to do with positive results is the first step toward a healthy home.

What Is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a name for a group of six naturally occurring fibrous minerals that are heat—and fire—resistant. Because of their nature, they were commonly woven into products like insulation and other building materials. However, asbestos was banned in 1989 due to its direct connection to mesothelioma, a type of cancer.

Before You Begin

If your house was built before the 1980s, there's a good chance that it contains asbestos-ridden building materials. Once you find something you suspect may contain asbestos, testing it is the only way to confirm your suspicion. While you can spend a hefty sum on a professional testing company, an easier and less expensive way to ensure that you and your family stay safe is by using an asbestos testing kit.

How DIY Asbestos Test Kits Work

Generally, asbestos testing kits work in a two-step process:

1. After purchasing a low-cost kit at a home improvement center or online, you obtain suspected asbestos from an area of your home. The kits will include detailed instructions for collecting and sending samples for testing safely, which should be followed carefully to ensure the process is done properly.
2. You mail the findings to a laboratory. Sometimes the asbestos testing kit includes both the kit fee and the laboratory fee. Other times, you pay twice: a small fee for the kit, then a larger fee for the lab results. When pricing out asbestos-testing kits, check whether you must pay twice. It also helps to know if a pre-paid mailer is included.

After a few days, the results are sent back to you.

Why You Might Find Asbestos in Your Home

Whether you're moving into an older home or beginning renovations that require you to remove old materials, testing for asbestos is a good idea. However, identifying asbestos within your home isn't as clear-cut as it may seem at first.

One of the most common occurrences of asbestos in the home is insulation. If you crawl into your attic and see gray, fluffy material, you know that it's definitely not fiberglass insulation. But does it contain asbestos? As it turns out, this suspected asbestos might be harmless blown-in cellulose: insulating pellets made from recycled paper.

However, it could be vermiculite (AKA Zonolite), an insulation material found in attics and walls with a mica-like shine and a gray-brown or silver-gold color that may or may not contain asbestos. Much, but not all, of the vermiculite insulation sold in North America prior to 1990 contained asbestos fibers.

Common Places You Might Find Asbestos

Before asbestos was banned, it was used in a variety of building materials including but not limited to the following:

• Sheet vinyl flooring
• Popcorn ceilings
• Floor tiles
• Ceiling cavities as insulation
• Wallboard
• Wallboard joint compound
• Pipe cement
• Mastic
• Exterior cement tile siding
• Heating pipe insulation wrap
• Roofing tiles
• Roof flashing