Why you can't tell by looking
HSE doesn't hedge: laboratory analysis of a sample is the sole sure test. Several asbestos boards look practically identical to harmless ones.
Where this comes from: HSE guide to arranging a survey; HSE list of where it is found.
How a test goes
- You describe the material and where it is.
- Someone with the right training collects a small sample. HSE is clear that sampling is not for amateurs.
- An accredited laboratory examines it (UKAS is the body that accredits them).
- The result comes back, and the contractor talks you through the options: leave it, cover it, or remove it.
Why not a home test kit?
Kits exist, but they make you cut or scrape the material yourself, which is exactly the disturbance you are trying to avoid. HSE's advice is to leave sampling to trained people.
Think it might be asbestos? Hands off. No drilling, sanding, scraping, snapping or sweeping. The Health and Safety Executive's line is that anyone untrained should not attempt to mend or take it out, and that undamaged material is frequently safer left exactly where it is until somebody has identified it. From the HSE FAQ page on asbestos.
What gets tested most
- Textured coatings on ceilings and walls
- Old vinyl floor tiles, plus the dark adhesive beneath
- Roofing sheets on garages, sheds and barns
- Boxing-in around boilers, pipes and fireplaces
- Soffits, flues and old water tanks
When to survey instead
Where several rooms are being opened up, or a building is coming down, a single sample won't cover it, and a survey is the better tool. Undecided? Tick "Not sure" on the form and the contractor will steer you.