Asbestos Sample Testing

There is no definitive way of telling if a material contains asbestos fibres without undertaking microscopic laboratory analysis.  Envirohealth Consulting has been undertaking bulk sample analysis of asbestos samples since the company’s inception in 1992, and have been NATA (National Association of Testing Authorities) accredited for the analysis of asbestos in bulk samples since 2007.  In this time we have carried out asbestos analysis on many thousands of samples from buildings, residences, industrial facilities and suspected contaminated land (soil samples).  These asbestos sample testing have included both client submitted samples and samples collected during asbestos auditing and other work.

As most people know, asbestos was widely used throughout the 20th century, predominantly in the 1940s to 1980s.  In fact, its use was only banned through the importation ban imposed in January 2003.  Up until then, asbestos was still imported and used throughout industry, primarily in the form of gaskets and friction materials (automotive brake and clutch linings).

Sample ashing furnace

Microscope for testing sample

Nearly all industrial facilities, residences and commercial buildings constructed prior to 1985 are likely to contain asbestos in some form.  The most common forms of asbestos containing materials likely to be encountered include:

• Asbestos cement materials including fibre cement sheeting (commonly called ‘fibro’), fibre cement pipe, corrugated sheeting (‘super six’) used as roofing and fencing, profiled and pre-formed sheeting, roofing shingles and similar items.
• Asbestos flooring materials including vinyl asbestos tiles and asbestos backed vinyl sheeting (commonly known as ‘lino’).
• Asbestos electrical switchboard panels (sampling of these is recommended only with the assistance of a qualified electrician).
• Asbestos pipe insulation including plaster type insulation and textile (rope) type insulation.
• Acoustic or thermal insulation including fire retardant. These materials can be sprayed or trowelled on or installed as fire breaks in multi-level buildings.

Where any doubt exists as to the asbestos status of any products in your home and you are planning to do works where disturbance of any suspected products is to occur, it is essential to confirm or deny the presence of asbestos within the material.  No one wants to contaminate their property with asbestos fibres as a result of cutting or breaking a potentially asbestos containing material.  Likewise no one wants to expose family and friends to airborne asbestos fibres.

Confirmation sampling at only $44 per sample will either tell you whether to engage a specialist contractor or give you the peace of mind to know that your building works are impacting on non-asbestos sheeting.

Envirohealth Consulting can arrange to do the sample collection for you – simply contact our office in Brisbane or Townsville and have one of our licensed asbestos assessors come to your site and collect the sample.  Alternatively, you can do the sampling yourself.  Simply order our Asbestos Sampling Kit or download the Laboratory Sample Submission form and send the sample to our laboratory for a prompt result.