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Asbestos in Building Siding Materials - How to identify asbestos-cement wall siding MoldAPedia © Enter your search terms Submit search form   Search This Website - InspectAPedia.com 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? Photo guide to asbestos-containing siding products: Cement Asbestos Siding Non-asbestos replacement cement siding is available, it's sometimes mistaken for asbestos

Here is our photo guide and text that can help in identification of asbestos-containing wall siding products like asphalt shingles & asbestos-cement siding shingles. 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.

Photo Guide to Cement-asbestos Wall Shingles or Siding Products

Most cementious building materials are considered to be non-friable, and are probably less hazardous than other friable asbestos products such as asbestos pipe insulation. However removal of asbestos-containing roofing products is regulated as we discuss at OSHA Regs.

How can we tell the difference between asbestos-containing shingles and fiber-cement wall shingles?

It's tricky. But here are some ways to distinguish between asbestos containing shingles and non-asbestos fiber-cement shingles:

• Age or date of installation: installed before 1978 the shingles probably contain asbestos.

If an asbestos-cement sided home has been re-modeled such as by adding a window or door, it's likely that the old asbestos cement shingles were broken around that new opening during the construction work - expect to see newer fiber cement shingles there.

Environmental Issues With Cement Asbestos Wall siding

The asbestos in cement asbestos siding products is not friable under normal conditions. That is, it is not normally easily crushed into dust by hand. However very work asbestos cement shingles, or shingles that are mishandled during demolition (breaking into many small pieces, running power saws to cut the material) risks creating airborne asbestos-contaminated dust which could be a health and environmental hazard.

Also in some communities special measures and added costs are involved because of a requirement for air-testing during removal and possibly costs to dispose of the material in an appropriate landfill. (After all, originally this material came from the land.)

Some wear signs to watch for on cement asbestos sided walls:

The life expectancy of asbestos-cement wall shingles is almost indefinite. On a vertical building wall this cement-asbestos mix shingle does not receive the same degree of weather and sun exposure and wear as a cement-asbestos roof tile or shingle.

Where do we see damage or wear on an asbestos cement sided wall? Mechanical damage results in broken asbestos cement wall shingles, and sometimes close to ground level where rain splash-up has beaten the lower wall shingles we may see some wear.

The typical life expectancy of an cement asbestos shingle roof, a system that used very similar materials to cement asbestos wall shingles, was given as 30 years, but we've seen these roofs that were now 50 years old in good condition.

Maintenance & Repair Tips for Asbestos Cement Wall Siding Shingles

We consider asbestos cement wall shingles a durable and fire-resistant roof and an asset to the building provided that the siding is in good condition. But because the material is easily damaged by a heavy-handed worker unfamiliar with the materials involved, asbestos cement siding has to be repaired and maintained with care.

Replacement cementious wall shingle materials are now available that look almost exactly like the original materials, but that do not contain asbestos. That's the product we have used to repair the building shown in the photographs in this article.

Small temporary wall siding repairs to individual shingles can be made using copper or aluminum flashing material -- it can be painted color that looks alot like the remaining cement asbestos shingles, and this approach minimizes the chances of breaking more shingles during the repair.

How to Remove and Replace Broken Asbestos Cement Wall Shingles

It is very difficult to remove individual broken asbestos-cement wall shingles, but working carefully it can be done.

Work by an inexperienced contractor can ruin a cement asbestos shingle wall siding and lead to complete replacement that could have been avoidable.

• Use vise-grips or a pair of horse-shoe nail clips or similar tool to carefully pull out the nails from the intact, un-damaged cement-asbestos shingles above and around the damaged shingles. Pull nails carefully so as not to break the intact shingles. Do not try to pry up asbestos cement shingles - they are brittle and will break.
• Slide out the damaged asbestos cement wall shingles
• Inspect the wall sheathing for leak or water or insect damage that may need repair
• Install a house-wrap or roofing felt over any exposed wall sheathing, sliding its upper edge under the older materials so that any water that penetrates the wall will be directed out not into the wall cavity.
• Carefully slide the new fiber cement shingles into place. If cement-shingles have to be cut, use the manufacturer's recommended cutting tool, not a power saw that will make a lot of dust.
• Line up the nail holes between the old (upper layer) cement asbestos shingles and the new fiber cement shingles to be secured underneath. They wont' line up, right? OK so use a tiny masonry bit and drill through the existing hole in the old asbestos cement (intact) shingle and through the new fiber cement shingle below.
• Nail the new shingles in place, carefully - don't let your final hammer strokes drive the nail so hard against the fiber cement shingle or asbestos-cement shingle that you break it.

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.

OSHA Regulation of roof demolition where asbestos containing roofing materials ACRM are present may also pertain to wall siding demolition

Beginning in 1986 OSHA set a permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 0.2 fibers per cubic centimeter (f/cc) of air over an 8-hour time-weighted average exposure period. OSHA also set an action level of 0.1 f/cc of asbestos for an 8-hour TWA average, and (the highest permitted short term asbestos fiber exposure) 1.0 f/cc "excursion limit" for a 30-minute time period. According to NRCA, the National Roofing Contractors' Association, their studies up to February 1992 had not found a single roofing job at which these limits were exceeded, and NRCA reported that in some cases no fiber release was detected.

We note that the association would have been referring only to asphalt-based roofing materials, not jobs involving the demolition of other ACRM such as cement-asbestos roof shingles (or "asbestos roof tiles" as some consumers refer to them) which might produce different statistics.

© Copyright 2008 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

Technical Reviewers & References

Particular thanks are due to experts and also consumers who read these articles and suggest corrections, changes, and additions to the material. Content suggestions, technical corrections and content critique are invited for any of the content at our website.

• Daniel Friedman - principal author/editor of the InspectAPedia ^® Website
• 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
• Critique, contributions wanted: Contact Us to suggest text changes and additions and, if you wish, to receive online listing and credit for that contribution.

Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

IDENTIFICATION of ASBESTOS 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 in unusual places
Carbon Nanotube Materials
Ceiling Tiles Containing Asbestos
Fireproofing containing Asbestos
Floor Tiles Containing Asbestos
Paper Duct Insulation Containing Asbestos
Transite Pipe Chimneys & Flues
Transite Pipe Air Ducts
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
Mold Growth Resistance of Foam Insulation
Asbestos-Free Insulation Materials
Insulation Materials
  Asbestos Pipe Insulation
  Balsam Wool Batt Insulation
  Cotton Insulating Batts
  Cellulose loose fill insulation
  Fiberglass Insulation
  Foam Board Insulation
  Foam Spray Icynene Insulation
  Insects & Foam Insulation
  Mineral Wool/Rock Wool Insulation
  Mold in Fiberglass Insulation
  Mold in Foam Insulation
  Paper Duct Insulation
  Perlite Insulation
  Vermiculite Insulation

More expert information on Asbestos Identification, Recognition, & Testing

More Information on Asbestos Contamination, Other Airborne Fiber Hazards, & 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:

• Fiberglass in Indoor Air, HVAC Ducts, and Building Insulation
• Fiberglass Particle Identification in the Fiberglass Test Laboratory
• Goodman Gray Flex Duct Deterioration and Failures
• Mold in Fiberglass Insulation
• Optimum Indoor Air Filters
• Owens Corning Flex Duct Deterioration and Failures
• World Trade Center Dust Particle Identification

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

• Asbestos Identification in Buildings: How to find & identify asbestos-containing materials
• Asbestos in Good Condition
• Asbestos HVAC Ducts - Asbestos Materials On or In Heating and Cooling Duct Work
• Asbestos paper duct wrap
• Asbestos Transite Chimneys, Flues, & Pipes in Buildings
• Asbestos under the microscope
• Asbestos Vibration Dampers & Asbestos in the Air Handler
• Ceiling tiles: How to recognize ceiling tiles that may contain asbestos
• Examples of unusual uses of asbestos in buildings

Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair, & Problem Prevention Research & Advice

The Mold Information Center: What to Do About Mold in Buildings, When and How to Inspect for Mold, Clean Up Mold, or Avoid Mold Problems

Home Inspection Construction Consulting Services & advice for home buyers

Use this simple, economical mold test kit by following our instructions on how to collect and mail mold samples to our lab

Environmental Inspection, Testing, & Diagnosis On-Site IAQ, Gas, Air Testing, Mold Investigation, Sick Building Diagnosis, Lab Services, & Remediation Plan Preparation - indoor air quality testing, problem source determination, supporting lab work, written remediation plan addressing removal of environmental and other hazards and prevention of their recurrence.

Contact Daniel Friedman for website content suggestions or for fee-paid consulting

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