Up until the late 1980s, asbestos was commonly used in all forms of construction as building material due to its natural resistances and strength. So what exactly is it? Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring minerals that consists of flexible fibres that are extremely resistant to corrosion, electricity and heat. Whilst these are all beneficial, they also make asbestos exposure potentially highly toxic as these mineral fibres pose a significant risk to people when they’re released after being damaged. 

The issue is that once the extremely fine fibres are inhaled into the lungs, they can cause a number of serious ailments. According to a study by the CDC these include mesothelioma (a cancer that affects the lining of your lungs), asbestos specific related lung cancer, asbestosis (scarring on the lungs) and pleural thickening (swelling of lung lining). 

However, to know the extent of an asbestos problem we’ll need to help you with some tests.

Assurecloud currently provide two types of asbestos testing,

• Asbestos Counting and Man-Made Mineral Fibres in Air Samples – Uses Phase Contrast Microscopy (PCM)
• Asbestos Identification in Bulk samples:  Identifies the six regulated types of asbestos by Polarised Light Microscopy (PLM).

These tests are aimed at helping brands test products thoroughly for any traces of asbestos. This can help avoid mass recalls and brand reputation being tarnished as a result. Some of the tests we provide include asbestos trace testing as well as asbestos environmental testing.  

There are a host of other benefits to asbestos testing, which will ultimately be worth the price you pay because you will be preventing harm to people, give assurances to tradesmen (for example) that a site is asbestos free, long term asbestos needs to be removed and eradicated but without knowing it’s there, or how much of it there is, you have nowhere to start. Asbestos is no joke, and half the battle is knowing IF you’re dealing with asbestos, and how much, or little, of it there is. Asbestos trace identification is definitely worth it if you have any concerns.

 Get in touch with us today to discuss your testing requirements.