Identifying asbestos in my walls

management · 09-16-2011, 11:16 AM

Can someone take a look at these pictures and let me know if this is asbestos or just lath and plaster with an additional sheet rock on it?

If more pictures are need I can provide them.

Thanks!

gregzoll · 09-16-2011, 11:56 AM

Actually looks like two layers of Gypsum board, not Rock Lathe. From all appearances, looking at the other wall that is Lathe for a Lathe & Plaster wall, is that this place I would say has already been rehabbed before. Only real danger, would be that you are breathing dust with Lead Paint in it, if the Gypsum was installed when paint still had Lead in it. Floor tiles, outside shingles, pipe & duct wrappings would have had asbestos.

jcrack_corn · 09-16-2011, 07:01 PM

no one can look at your pictures on the internet and tell you if there are microscopic fibers in the plaster.

you need to send it off to be tested (and quantified).

joed · 09-17-2011, 12:27 PM

The plaster itself could have asbestos in it. They sometimes used it for binder.

Ron6519 · 09-17-2011, 01:18 PM

You can verify asbestos with a hobby microscope and a picture for comparison.

jcrack_corn · 09-18-2011, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron6519

You can verify asbestos with a hobby microscope and a picture for comparison.

no. he still cant quantify and qualify it. some fibers are long, some are short, and the number of fibers matter.

it may indeed have asbestos in it and still not be dangerous.

Ron6519 · 09-18-2011, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcrack_corn

no. he still cant quantify and qualify it. some fibers are long, some are short, and the number of fibers matter.

it may indeed have asbestos in it and still not be dangerous.

He asked if the wall had asbestos. I told him how he could do that himself. I read the post as someone who wanted to deal with the problem based on whether asbestos was there or not.
Once asbestos is identified, do you treat the demo differently whether there's 10% or 40%?

Maintenance 6 · 09-19-2011, 08:49 AM

It takes an electron microscope to identify asbestos fibers. I doubt he has one sitting around.

Ron6519 · 09-19-2011, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maintenance 6

It takes an electron microscope to identify asbestos fibers. I doubt he has one sitting around.

It does not take an electron microscope to identify asbestos. The particle size of asbestos in plaster varies in size from small to fairly large.
I've been identifying asbestos in building products, with a 900 power microscope, for 20+ years.

Maintenance 6 · 09-19-2011, 03:15 PM

I would never ever recommend somebody try to do their own asbestos testing with a hobby microscope. And yes, it is possible for gysum wallboard to contain asbestos. I personally worked on a project to abate drywall from 160 apartment units. Some drywall had it. Some didn't. All of the joint compound had it. Units were built mid 1960s.

Ron6519 · 09-19-2011, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maintenance 6

I would never ever recommend somebody try to do their own asbestos testing with a hobby microscope.

Why not? What issue precludes taking a tiny amount of material and putting it on a slide?

jcrack_corn · 09-19-2011, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron6519

It does not take an electron microscope to identify asbestos. The particle size of asbestos in plaster varies in size from small to fairly large.
I've been identifying asbestos in building products, with a 900 power microscope, for 20+ years.

while it does not take and SEM, it does take at least a polarizing light microscope and the skill to use it.

a microscope that is 900x is probably garbage from china. My professional scopes generally have 10x 20x 40x primary with a 10x occular and we use oil occasionally to go to 1000x.

in any case, argue all you want, but you are unilaterally/absolutely wrong here. no one is going to change your mind, so believe what you want, but aesbestos identification (fiber type and family) and fiber count are the critical parts (not necessarily that the fibers exist, as lots of safe products have aesbestos).

Ron6519 · 09-20-2011, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcrack_corn

while it does not take and SEM, it does take at least a polarizing light microscope and the skill to use it.

a microscope that is 900x is probably garbage from china. My professional scopes generally have 10x 20x 40x primary with a 10x occular and we use oil occasionally to go to 1000x.

in any case, argue all you want, but you are unilaterally/absolutely wrong here. no one is going to change your mind, so believe what you want, but aesbestos identification (fiber type and family) and fiber count are the critical parts (not necessarily that the fibers exist, as lots of safe products have aesbestos).

The Poster was inquiring about the plaster he pictured. These binder pieces, in the plaster pictured can be indentified with a chinese hobby microscope. Maybe even a chinese magnifying glass.
Or a jewelers loop. Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket.

jcrack_corn · 09-20-2011, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron6519

The Poster was inquiring about the plaster he pictured. These binder pieces, in the plaster pictured can be indentified with a chinese hobby microscope. Maybe even a chinese magnifying glass.
Or a jewelers loop. Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket.

several people have debunked your claims with science, do you have any science or just pseudo-ad-hominem attacks?

Ron6519 · 09-20-2011, 08:12 AM

Asbestos fibers sitting on a table. Seen without anything but the naked eye. Old school plaster had fibers in it that were not processed like joint compound. Not as coarse as powdered insulation used to coat boilers back in the 30's and 40's, where apprentices poured the stuff out of bags, added water and applied it to the metal core to insulate it.
This thread is over.
Jack, have a nice "sciencey" day.