Solution: Asbestos examination: Testing and examination for asbestos
Solution: Asbestos examination: Testing and examination for asbestos
Dipl.-Ing. Thomas Fleischanderl
Asbestos examination: Testing and examination for asbestos
Asbestos examination: Testing and examination for asbestos
We humans spend a large part of our lives indoors. It is therefore extremely important that indoor spaces are free from harmful substances and materials that are absorbed through the air. Even though today’s building standards no longer permit the use of materials containing asbestos, there is still a great potential risk from old building materials in old buildings, which can become particularly acute during conversions and renovations.
In the worst case, the respiratory uptake of asbestos fibers through the air can lead to cancer (e.g. in the lungs, larynx, ribs or peritoneum).
Our experts use material samples to determine whether there is a risk from asbestos.
In which materials can asbestos be expected?
Until the 1990s, asbestos was used very widely in over 3,000 different products, particularly in the building materials industry, due to its many excellent technical properties. It is estimated that around a quarter to a third of all buildings constructed before 1995 are currently affected by an asbestos problem.
Where in the building can asbestos be found
- Roof coverings, facade cladding: Asbestos cement, fiber cement, Eternit
- Thermal insulation and soundproofing (e.g. cardboard, fleece, spray compounds, night storage heaters)
- Flooring: screed, asbestos cement, fiber cement.
- Floor coverings: e.g. PVC floor coverings, Floor-Flex panels, cushion vinyls, carpet adhesives, black and brown bitumen and tile adhesives
- Additive in paints, plasters, adhesives, tile adhesives, jointing and filling compounds, window putty, bitumen, roofing and sealing membranes
- Interior fittings: lightweight boards, fire protection boards, window sills, supply and exhaust air ducts, installation pipes, cable ducts
- Seals containing asbestos: Fire doors, soundproof doors, pipe and duct penetrations through walls and ceilings, sealing strips on lightweight walls
- Cords containing as bestos: oven doors, chimney flaps, inspection flaps
- Asbestos cardboard: Coating on the underside of wooden window sills above radiators
- Fire protection: fire doors, oven doors, inorganic foams
- Linings for electrical installations (e.g. paper, cardboard, boards)
- Reinforcement (e.g. boards, corrugated sheets, pipes, window sills)
Health hazards
The health hazard of asbestos lies in the nature of its fiber structure. Inhaling the finest asbestos fibers can cause cancer of the respiratory organs (larynx, lung cancer) and the chest or abdominal cavity (ribs, peritoneum). Asbestos fibres are classified as hazardous fibres if their length is greater than 0.005 mm and their diameter is 0.003 mm or less and they are characterized by a length to diameter ratio of greater than three to one.
Testing for asbestos: reliable identification
Suspicious materials can be identified by our asbestos experts in the laboratory using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). If fibers are found, you will receive a test report with a scanning electron image. The fibers are classified using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXA).
Please contact us before taking the appropriate sample.
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