Asbestos Testing Service in Sacramento & Roseville, CA

Asbestos is a cause of lung cancer and mesothelioma in the United States.  They both can take 15-35 years after exposure to develop but then only takes months to spread of metastasize.  While asbestos causes six times more cases of lung cancer than mesothelioma, it is the only known cause of mesothelioma.  Lung cancer claims the most lives of all asbestos related diseases.  That’s why it’s essential to have your home or commercial facility checked for asbestos by a qualified and experienced professional. At Nighthawk Home Inspections, LLC, we’re dedicated to providing affordable, reliable, and timely asbestos testing for our residential and commercial clients.

Bulk Sample Asbestos Testing

It’s a scary thought, but asbestos could be lodged in your popcorn ceiling or insulation. Why take chances with your health when our team is on hand to help? We’ll come out and inspect your property for asbestos so that you can get the peace of mind you deserve, especially for homes built before 1980. Asbestos is safe until it becomes airborne (friable). Exposure to airborne asbestos causes scarring of the lungs, various cancers and is the primary cause of mesothelioma cancer. We take a sample of the popcorn ceiling, drywall, flooring tiles and the attic insulation for lab testing. Asbestos testing in other locations and materials are on a case by case basis.

Airborne Asbestos Testing

Asbestos was widely used in housing materials from the early 20^th century through 1978.  Some materials were warehoused after the ban, making it possible to find the material a few years after 1978.  Insurance companies generally do not view a home built after 1985 as a likely risk for asbestos material.  Locally, we most commonly find asbestos material in water heater and furnace flues and then certain types of tile or the glue used to hold them in place.  Occasionally we find it in the ducting or a plumbing piping wrap.  It is possible for asbestos to be in a wide variety materials including drywall, insulation, duct wrap, flues, cements and glues, roof shingles, ceiling tiles, exterior siding and more. 

Asbestos is only harmful to people if they can breathe it in – it has to be in the air.  This is where an airborne asbestos test comes in – if we can demonstrate the air does not contain asbestos, then the house is currently safe from this potential threat and associated diseases. 

Our airborne asbestos test works in a similar manner as our airborne mold test.  We connect a canister up to an air pump.  We calibrate the air pump to a specific rate so the asbestos will enter the canister, hit the adhesive and stick to it.  If the air rate is too low, the asbestos will not hit the adhesive.  If the air rate is too high, it bounces off and also does not stick to the adhesive.  Once we collect the sample, we send it off to an independent lab for analysis.  The lab sends back a report detailing whether or not the levels of asbestos in the tested area were within government accepted levels or not. 

For more information about our asbestos testing services or to schedule an appointment, call Nighthawk Home Inspections, LLC today.