Just when you think all of the asbestos in the world has been removed, you hear a story in the news of a house or office building that is loaded with the stuff. It is scary to think that this cancer-causing substance is still lurking around, and that many people are completely unaware of its existence in their homes or offices. If you come across anything that looks like it might be a gritty, grainy, white to slightly grayish, powdery deposit, you should definitely have it tested for asbestos. Also, be aware that many linoleum floors that predate the early 80s may contain asbestos. Here are three ways to confirm and/or test these substances safely and get the answers you need. 

1. Construction Reports and Testing

If the home or office building underwent previous remodeling and/or construction, and was tested at that time for asbestos, those reports had to be logged with local and provincial government agencies for the recording of the presence of toxic substances. Track down those reports to see if any asbestos was noted then. If not, you should be safe, but it still helps to confirm findings from those previous reports. 

2. Mail-in Kit 

For a few dollars, you can pick up a mail-in test kit from a hardware store. The thing about collecting a sample of potential asbestos for the mail-in kit is that you have to be extremely careful about the procedure. Read all of the instructions thoroughly.

Wear gloves and dispose of the gloves outside and right after you collect your sample. Wear a respirator and a disposable coverall if you are collecting the gritty, powdery type of sample, and then dispose of the coverall outside as well. The mail-in kit will cost you about another $50-$100 to complete the lab tests, which you will need to include in check form or include your credit card information on the return form for the report. You do not have to be quite as careful if you are sending a black mastic (linoleum glue) and/or linoleum sample, but you should still take precautionary measures. 

3. Professional Residential Asbestos Testing

This is a service company you call that will send a technician to your home to take a sample. He/she may be able to swish the sample around in a test tube and tell you right away if you have an asbestos problem, or he/she will take the sample back to the local lab for tests there. It costs a lot more than the mail-in kit, but then you do not have to go anywhere near the questionable substance yourself. 

Contact a company like The Healthy Abode today to learn more.