Asbestos is a mineral fiber that was used in the past to strengthen certain products and provide heat insulation and fire resistance. Unfortunately, its airborne presence poses a serious problem that can lead to medical issues such as lung cancer and mesothelioma, which affects the lining of the chest and abdominal cavity, as well as asbestosis, which scars the lungs with fibrous tissue. Based in Bridgeport, CT, Astech specializes in asbestos removal, but how can you be sure you even have it in your home in the first place?

While you'll want the professionals to take a look at any potential asbestos samples around your home, there are a few specific places and types of units that are more likely to contain asbestos. Some of the potential spots you might find asbestos include:

• Homes Built Before 1980: If you have an older home, particularly those built before 1980, it's a good idea to look into asbestos testing. Houses built between 1930 and 1950 may have been constructed with asbestos in place as insulation, and asbestos can also be found in textured paint and patching compounds in houses built prior to the ban on its use in 1977.
• Walls & Floors: If your home does fall in the above category, some of the key places that may be in need of asbestos removal are the walls and floors. In the case of the latter, vinyl floor tiles and the backing on vinyl sheet flooring are potentially hazardous spots, as are older adhesives in those areas.

• Pipes & Furnaces: Asbestos might have been used to coat hot water and steam pipes in older homes, and it can also be found as insulation for oil and coal furnaces and door gaskets.
• Roofing & Shingles: There's always the possibility that you have an asbestos problem above, since asbestos cement was used to make roofing and siding shingles in the past.
• Older products: Even if your home isn't old enough to have asbestos used as insulation or other components, there might be older products that have been handed down over the years. Items like older stovetop pads as well as artificial ashes and embers for gas fireplaces may contain asbestos compounds.

If you have any suspicion that asbestos is present in your home, contact the asbestos removal specialists at Astech as soon as possible. Visit them online for more information, or give them a call at (203) 335-0502.