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ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS - INSPECT, TEST, REMEDY
ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN BUILDINGS
Asbestos Risk Assessment
Asbestos in Good Condition
Asbestos in Poor Condition
Asbestos Removal, Amateur, Incomplete
Asbestos Foamed-Over
Asbestos Air Ducts
Asbestos Air Duct Vibration Dampers
Asbestos Pipe Insulation
ASBESTOS REGULATION Update
Asbestos Roofing Materials
Asbestos Siding Materials
  Asbestos vs. fiber-cement
  Re-Sale Issues - Cement Asbestos siding
  Wear signs on cement asbestos walls
  Maintenance & Repair Asbestos Cement Shingles
  Remove & Replace Asbestos Cement Shingles
  Siding over asbestos cement
  Sources of Replacements for Asbestos Cement Shingles
  Painting Cement Asbestos Siding
  OSHA Regulations
Asbestos in unusual places
Carbon Nanotube Materials
Ceiling Tiles Containing Asbestos
Fireproofing containing Asbestos
Floor Tiles Containing Asbestos
Paper Duct Insulation Containing Asbestos
Transite Pipe Air Ducts
Transite Pipe Chimneys & Flues
Transite Pipe Water Supply Piping
Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation UFFI
Vermiculite Insulation Containing Asbestos

Insulation Material Identification Guide
ASBESTOS: Photo Guide to Materials / Products
Asbestos Under the Microscope

Insulation Material Identification Guide
Asbestos-Free Insulation Materials
  Asbestos Pipe Insulation
  Balsam Wool Batt Insulation
  Cotton Insulating Batts
  Cellulose loose fill insulation
  Concrete insulation, light-weight
  Fiberglass Insulation
  Foam Board Insulation
  Foam Insulation Types - Visual Id
  Homasote & Other Insulating Board
  Icynene Foam Spray Insulation
  Insects & Foam Insulation
  Mineral Wool - Rock Wool Insulation
  Mold in Fiberglass Insulation
  Mold in Foam Insulation
  Paper Duct Insulation
  Perlite Insulation
  POLYISOCYANURATE FOAM INSULATION
  POLYSTYRENE FOAM INSULATION
  URETHANE FOAM Deterioration, Outgassing
  Vermiculite Insulation
INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT

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New and old fiber cement and asbestos cement shingles side by side (C) Daniel FriedmanSources of Replacements for asbestos-cement wall siding
InspectAPedia®  -    

  • Buy fiber cement shingles or fiber cement building siding when replacement or repair of damaged asbestos cement shingles is needed
  • When & how to paint asbestos cement shingle siding
  • How to recognize asbestos building siding or wall cladding materials: asbestos cement or "cement-asbestos siding"
  • During what years was asbestos included in building products?
  • Non-asbestos replacement cement siding is available, it's sometimes mistaken for asbestos
Our site offers impartial, unbiased advice without conflicts of interest. We will block advertisements which we discover or readers inform us are associated with bad business practices, false-advertising, or junk science. Our contact info is at InspectAPedia.com/appointment.htm.

Here we discuss why, where & how to obtain replacement non-asbestos fiber cement shingles to repair or replace asbestos cement shingle siding. We discuss why & how to paint asbestos cement or fiber cement building siding. This document assists building buyers, owners or inspectors who need to identify asbestos materials (or probable-asbestos) in buildings by simple visual inspection. In the website sections listed below, we provide photographs and descriptive text of asbestos insulation and other asbestos-containing products to permit identification of definite, probable, or possible asbestos materials in buildings.

While an expert lab test using polarized light microscopy may be needed to identify the specific type of asbestos fiber, or to identify the presence of asbestos in air or dust samples, many asbestos-containing building products not only are obvious and easy to recognize, but since there were not other look-alike products that were not asbestos, a visual identification of this material can be virtually a certainty in many cases.

Sources of Replacements for Asbestos Cement Wall Shingles

One manufacturer of cement-asbestos shingles was Ruberoid Co., who made 8" x 16" tapered singles with a surface pattern resembling wood and called "Ru-Ber-Oid-Eternit Tapered Timbertex Asbestos-Cement Shingles." 260 singles/525 lbs/square, were available in a wide range of colors.

Contemporary cement asbestos product manufacturers make reinforced fiber-cement wall and roofing shingles and other products which look like, perform similarly to, and need to be installed similarly to the original asbestos-cement shingles - but these new products are free of asbestos. The replacements for asbestos cement wall siding products are reinforced with a variety of fibers including fiberglass. Other replacements for asbestos-cement siding use both different fibers and a different aggregate (perlite) to replace the asbestos. Some of the substitute products have been in use for more than 30 years (2008).

For maintenance or replacement of asbestos-cement wall siding or roof shingles (or wall siding) contact Supradur Manufacturing Corporation, PO Box 908, Rye NY 10580 800-223-1948, or from within New York State, call 914-967-8230. Ask about their Supradur(R) mineral fiber shingles.

For handling and disposal guidance concerning old cement-asbestos wall siding material contact the US EPA, your state Department of Environmental Protection/Conservation, or your local building and health departments.

Painting Cement Asbestos Building Siding

Should I paint my asbestos cement shingles? Do you need to use special paint for cement asbestos siding?

Painting cement asbestos siding or non-asbestos fiber cement siding is mostly a cosmetic decision. We have never seen this material in a worn, friable condition, but should that occur, one might paint the surface also to stop fiber shedding and to preserve the material.

Fiber cement shingles, both new non-asbestos product and the older asbestos-cement product are provided from the manufacturer with a coated surface, usually white. When the asbestos cement siding is soiled or moldy or has an algae coating we prefer to gently clean the surface with a sprayer, perhaps a deck cleaner solution. If you use a power washer be careful to spray "down" (to avoid blowing water into the building walls) and to keep far enough away that you do not damage the siding or "rough it up" which may cause more rapid deterioration or even fiber or asbestos release.

But sometimes the asbestos cement or fiber cement shingles just look soiled and do not clean up enough to satisfy the homeowner. In general, this siding material can be painted using normal house paints. Check with your paint suppliers because some paints may not be recommended for the surface. But once you paint the siding, you've converted a "no maintenance" surface into one that will occasionally need to be re-painted for cosmetic reasons.

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ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN BUILDINGS
Asbestos Risk Assessment
Asbestos in Good Condition
Asbestos in Poor Condition
Asbestos Removal, Amateur, Incomplete
Asbestos Foamed-Over
Asbestos Air Ducts
Asbestos Air Duct Vibration Dampers
Asbestos Pipe Insulation
ASBESTOS REGULATION Update
Asbestos Roofing Materials
Asbestos Siding Materials
  Asbestos vs. fiber-cement
  Re-Sale Issues - Cement Asbestos siding
  Wear signs on cement asbestos walls
  Maintenance & Repair Asbestos Cement Shingles
  Remove & Replace Asbestos Cement Shingles
  Siding over asbestos cement
  Sources of Replacements for Asbestos Cement Shingles
  Painting Cement Asbestos Siding
  OSHA Regulations
Asbestos in unusual places
Carbon Nanotube Materials
Ceiling Tiles Containing Asbestos
Fireproofing containing Asbestos
Floor Tiles Containing Asbestos
Paper Duct Insulation Containing Asbestos
Transite Pipe Air Ducts
Transite Pipe Chimneys & Flues
Transite Pipe Water Supply Piping
Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation UFFI
Vermiculite Insulation Containing Asbestos
Other Asbestos-Containing Materials
Asbestos Under the Microscope
Mold Growth Resistance of Foam Insulation
Asbestos-Free Insulation Materials

Insulation Material Identification Guide
Asbestos-Free Insulation Materials
  Asbestos Pipe Insulation
  Balsam Wool Batt Insulation
  Cotton Insulating Batts
  Cellulose loose fill insulation
  Concrete insulation, light-weight
  Fiberglass Insulation
  Foam Board Insulation
  Foam Insulation Types - Visual Id
  Homasote & Other Insulating Board
  Icynene Foam Spray Insulation
  Insects & Foam Insulation
  Mineral Wool - Rock Wool Insulation
  Mold in Fiberglass Insulation
  Mold in Foam Insulation
  Paper Duct Insulation
  Perlite Insulation
  POLYISOCYANURATE FOAM INSULATION
  POLYSTYRENE FOAM INSULATION
  Vermiculite Insulation
  • Asbestos products and their history and use in various building materials such as asphalt and vinyl flooring includes discussion which draws on Asbestos, Its Industrial Applications, D.V. Rosato, engineering consultant, Newton, MA, Reinhold Publishing, 1959 Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 59-12535 (out of print).
  • "Handling Asbestos-Containing roofing material - an update", Carl Good, NRCA Associate Executive Director, Professional Roofing, February 1992, p. 38-43
  • EPA Guidance for Controlling Asbestos-Containing Materials in Buildings, NIAST, National Institute on Abatement Sciences & Technology, [republishing EPA public documents] 1985 ed., Exposure Evaluation Division, Office of Toxic Substances, Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington,D.C. 20460
  • "Asbestos in the Home," U.S. EPA, Exposure Evaluation Division, Office of Toxic Substances, Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington,D.C. 20460
  • NRCA Roofing and Waterproofing Manual, 4th Ed., available from the National Roofing Contractors' Association.
  • "Tips for working with fiber-cement roofing products", Thomas L. Smith, AIA, RRC, Professional Roofing, September 1996

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

  • Our recommended books about building design, inspection, and repair, and about indoor environment testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore.
  • ...
IDENTIFICATION of ASBESTOS in BUILDINGS

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More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

  • Asbestos: How to find and recognize asbestos in Buildings - visual inspection methods, list of common asbestos-containing materials
  • Asbestos HVAC Ducts and Flues field identification photos and guide
  • Fiberglass: Indoor Air Quality Investigations: Health Concerns About Airborne Fiberglass: Fiberglass in Indoor Air from HVAC ducts, and Building Insulation
  • Enviro-Scare: Electric Power Lines, Electromagnetic Fields, Cancer Risk, & "Enviro-Scare" - The Normal Curve Cycle of Public Fear of Environmental Issues
  • Dust from the World Trade Center collapse following the 9/11/01 attack: the lower floors of this building contained spray-on fire-proofing asbestos materials.
  • Asbestos Information Links: Asbestos Detection, Testing, Recognition, Hazards, Field Photos, and Information Sources, including health-related links such as legal services and information about mesothelioma and other cancers.
  • Asbestos Identification and Testing References
    • Asbestos Identification, Walter C.McCrone, McCrone Research Institute, Chicago, IL.1987 ISBN 0-904962-11-3. Dr. McCrone literally "wrote the book" on asbestos identification procedures which formed the basis for current work by asbestos identification laboratories.
    • Stanton, .F., et al., National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 506: 143-151
    • Pott, F., Staub-Reinhalf Luft 38, 486-490 (1978) cited by McCrone

For more information about fiberglass as an indoor air quality concern see:

For more information about asbestos as an indoor air quality concern with focus on easy ways to identify asbestos materials in buildings, see:

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