Asbestos Testing Kits – Do You Really Need To Test Them?
When there is no need for asbestos removal, asbestos testing is often necessary to find out what kind of hazards your house may have had and how safe they are now. But testing can be done by yourself and be very inexpensive. While not all asbestos testing kits come with asbestos removal instructions, many do, so you can skip the step where they take samples and send them off to a lab.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was used in insulation and building materials to make them stronger. Unfortunately, they are not totally harmless, and they are especially dangerous when found in areas of your house and workplace where they are in direct contact with people’s skin, like in ceilings and walls. But even without asbestos material present in your home, it is still a good idea to get them tested, so your family knows what to expect and can have peace of mind if they should experience health problems in the future.
Asbestos testing kits can cost you anywhere from fifty dollars to a few hundred dollars depending on the service that you use. Most of these kits only require you to fill out a small form and pay a one time fee for testing and disposal of the sample results. While not all kits do, these kits typically give you an estimated amount for the total cost of getting rid of all of those asbestos fibers found in your home. If you do decide to call in a professional asbestos removal company, asbestos testing kits are an easy way to get started.
If you are unsure whether or not there are asbestos fibers present in your home, there are still a number of places you can go to see whether they are present or not before calling a local government office. One of those is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has many offices located across the country. This agency is responsible for testing for asbestos and removing it from your home, school, or other buildings and businesses.
Asbestos testing kits should come with a warning sign stating that the kit contains asbestos, so it is easy for people who may be exposed to it to know to call for assistance. If you aren’t sure about whether or not the kit contains asbestos, do not take any samples. unless you are sure about how much you are actually taking home.
If you decide to test yourself or someone in your home, you will probably have to contact an asbestos removal company. in order to get the test results. They will likely use a special sprayer, vacuum equipment, or other specialized tools in order to get the fibers out of your wall, ceiling, carpet, or flooring.
However, this can take more than one procedure, which means that if there are too many fibers to be removed you may be forced to have the entire area replaced and possibly have to re-do the entire room at an additional expense. This is especially true for older homes that may have many layers of insulation that contain asbestos.
It is also important to note that there is not necessarily a time limit for asbestos removal kits to be returned for a full refund, which is why it is important to test out as much of your home or business as possible before calling a removal company. Once you have determined that the kits do contain some asbestos, you may want to take your samples back in the future in order to make sure that the levels are lower than what you originally reported.
With this being said, you are able to take care of asbestos removal and testing yourself and save money while giving yourself the ability to choose the type of services that are needed. It is up to you how far you want to go, but if nothing else it is nice to know exactly what is going on and where you stand.
