What is asbestos?
Asbestos is a mineral silicate belonging to amphibole and serpentine type mineral forming rocks that were mined and used in various buildings and structures due to their heat resistant, robust, flexible, and waterproofing properties.
There are 6 types of asbestos based on their mineral structure. Chrysotile (white asbestos), amosite (brown asbestos), crocidolite (blue asbestos), Actinolite, Tremolite and Actinophyllite. In Australia, the first three varieties were widely used.
Asbestos was extensively used in building materials, plant and equipment, motor vehicles etc before and during the 1980s and asbestos products were banned in Australia in 2003 due to their cancer-causing risk. Prolonged exposure to asbestos fibres via inhalation can cause illnesses including mesothelioma (lung cancer) and asbestosis.
How to test for asbestos?
A typical asbestos testing involves inspection of the property by a licenced asbestos professional, careful survey of the conditions of the material (i.e if the materials are bonded or friable asbestos), and collection of asbestos samples with appropriate sampling techniques and asbestos analysis in a NATA accredited laboratory. All our asbestos testing in Sydney is undertaken in accordance with the WHS Regulation 2017.
Steps to collect the asbestos sample:
• Ensure the area has been barricaded from the public;
• Wet the material that is required to be sampled with the help of a spray bottle;
• Remove all items beneath the sampling area to ensure that there is no cross-contamination to other materials;
• Place a layer of plastic sheeting below the sampling area;
• Obtain a sample from the material with the assistance of a small hand tool such as a knife or chisel or core borer. No power tools must be used during the process. The sampling shall be undertaken in a way such that it does not generate dust from the activity;
• Obtain a sample no more than the size of a 50-cent coin and place it into a zip lock bag. Place the sample bag in another zip lock bag such that the sample is double bagged;
• Name the sample with the unique identification number;
• Ensure there is no dust on the outside of the sampling bags for the safety of people handling the sample bags; and
• All analysis must be undertaken by a NATA accredited laboratory.
K2 Consulting Group recommends that asbestos sampling is always undertaken by licenced professionals.