Ceiling Tiles That Contain Asbestos

Asbestos is a harmful fibrous mineral that causes a whole range of health issues, the most dangerous being those related to the lungs, which are scarred by the fibroid tissues. Almost all the suspended or drop ceilings, constructed a few decades back contained asbestos. These ceilings were commonly referred to as the acoustic ceiling. Although there is no direct way to identify which ceiling tiles contain asbestos by mere observation, it is safe to presume all the ceilings constructed before 1981 had asbestos content.

Recognizing the hazards of asbestos, a law was passed in 1981 to abandon the use of asbestos in ceiling tiles. The law also states that the surfacing material which was sprayed, thermal insulating system, resilient flooring all had asbestos content.

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Unless otherwise proved by analysis that the material had less than 1 % of asbestos, the law was enforced to consider all materials before 1981 as presumed asbestos containing material. The dust and debris from these materials hence would also come under the scope of the law.

Therefore one could safely say that if the construction was done in the 70’s or before, the ceiling tiles contain asbestos.

You could also guess that ceiling tiles contain asbestos if the damaged ceiling exposes the internal structure and could be spotted with fibrous matter that proves the presence of asbestos in these tiles. Some buildings use the space between these tiles and roofs for air conditioning systems, exposing everyone inside to the harm of breathing asbestos matter through the air.

How to Identify Asbestos Contained Ceilings

To identify whether ceiling tiles contain asbestos, one needs to understand the structure and signs of fireproofing, thermal insulation etc. as these are the primary functions of asbestos. Fireproofing material sprayed on the beams is usually made of fibers of asbestos and vermiculite. Even acoustical plaster is sometimes used. Stucco is another plaster that may contain asbestos. It is primarily used for interior ornamentation or decoration of the walls.

Thermal insulation to pipes, boilers etc. also have asbestos content in it. By looking at the condition of the construction, and the signs of damage, one could find out about the dust and debris content. If you see that the surface is cracking, peeling or has blisters, you could assume that the ceiling tiles contain asbestos. Water stained material is another way of detecting the same. A gouged, crushed surface with material hanging from it also indicates that there is asbestos content in it.

Asbestos is a material that is a poor conductor of heat and hence used for heat insulation and to protect buildings from fire. It also acts as a very good dampener for sound. Hence it was very popularly used as ceiling material for schools where noise reduction was a great necessity. It is also very easy to renovate the ceilings etc. that use asbestos tiles. However, given the nature of harm it does, one must specially be careful of the damage or breakdown of asbestos material used in construction and take prompt action and use proper guidelines to deal with asbestos dust.

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