Unfortunately, you can not tell whether a material in your Washington, D.C. home contains asbestos just by looking at it. Most asbestos is found in homes built before 1980. If you suspect asbestos-containing material such as damaged floor or ceiling tiles, or if you are planning on any renovations in the near future that will require removing or disturbing the material, the EPA recommends that you have an asbestos inspector take samples and be tested by an outside professional laboratory.
An accredited professional asbestos inspector can inspect your home or business, take samples of suspected materials and then advise you about what needs to be done to rid your home or place of business in Washington, D.C. of any asbestos-containing materials.
A Washington D.C. asbestos inspector will first do a complete visual examination of your home in Washington, D.C. He will carefully collect samples for testing and send off to a laboratory for analysis of the samples taken from the home.
If the samples test positive for asbestos, the asbestos inspector should give you a written evaluation of his findings, the location and the extent of the damage. He should then recommend a plan to either contain or remove the asbestos from your Washington, D.C. home by a licensed and insured asbestos contractor. Once the asbestos has been removed or contained, another inspection should be done by the professional asbestos inspector or an independent air testing contractor in Washington, D.C. to make sure there is no increase in asbestos fibers in the air.
If your asbestos inspector finds asbestos-containing materials that have not been disturbed and are in a remote area of your home in Washington, D.C. that no one ever comes in contact with, he may suggest to leave it alone. Asbestos is only hazardous when it is disturbed and becomes airborne.
Envirotex serving the Washington, D.C. area is an environmental service company with over 15 years of experience in asbestos testing and remediation, mold testing and remediation, lead paint testing and remediation, and meth labs and clandestine drug lab cleanup. Call Envirotex for the environmental specialists in your area.