Is There Asbestos In Slate Roofs

Health safety concerns related to the removal of asbestos containing roofs.

Is there asbestos in slate roofs.

The surveyors report states that the roof slates will contain asbestos fibres and they are perfectly acceptable and safe so long as they are not disturbed. What happened before the 1980s most artificial roofing slate was made from asbestos cement a material that had a long track record of successful performance. There is more information about asbestos roofs in the slate roof bible. Many asbestos roofs and siding are damaged cracked or broken.

Regular flat shingle tiles standard lap are shown below as are common diamond shaped tiles and side lap tiles. It is not unreasonable to expect 100 years from a properly maintained asbestos roof. When the use of asbestos became forbidden manufacturers rushed to replace asbestos containing products with cement based products reinforced with non asbestos materials. Asbestos was banned in 1989 so as the buildings that incorporated it age their roofing and siding will fall into disrepair.

Corrugated cement our least favorite acm to encounter. The asbestos fibers are contained inside the slate and cannot be released unless broken. If true slate the shingles are not asbestos. Since asbestos building materials cannot be easily spotted with the naked eye the best clue is to find out when the roof was actually built.

Asbestos shingles were valued for being fireproof especially among those living in turn of the century communities where fire spread was a common concern. Their color ranges between grey light green peachy orange and even purple. There are at least three types of asbestos shingles. Some people will call cementitious shingles slate and those can be asbestos.

The asbestos fibers inside slates can only be released when they are broken and this roofing material does not necessarily require removal although many people choose to do it. However many states still require a licensed abatement contract to handle this material in approved ways. Determine the age of the building. He also states that the slates are in reasonable condition.

There are two parts to a slate roof. Asbestos was used from the early 20s to the late 80s. Thankfully slate last for so long you don t run into the need to replace it often. When a building is quite old it has a good chance of having asbestos building materials.