Information for homeowners

• Asbestos Advisory for Homeowners
• Asbestos Advisory - DEQ Building Survey Requirement
• Repairing or Sealing Damaged Asbestos-containing Materials

Determining if your home has asbestos

The following materials may contain asbestos:

• Sprayed-on popcorn acoustical ceilings
• Acoustical ceiling tiles
• Sheet flooring (such as linoleum) or vinyl asbestos tiles
• Cement asbestos board siding and roofing
• Furnace and duct insulation
• Boiler and pipe insulation

Be safe! Treat all suspect materials as if they contain asbestos until you know for sure. You cannot identify asbestos by looking at it. The only safe way to find out if material contains asbestos is to have a laboratory analyze a sample of the suspect material. Laboratories that do this work are usually listed in the Yellow Pages under "Laboratories - Analytical." Call DEQ for information on how to safely take a sample.

If faced with asbestos

Homeowners have two choices

1. Hire an accredited inspector to perform the survey or
2. Use the DEQ guidance document on how to perform your own asbestos survey. A paper copy of the guidance document on how to perform an asbestos survey can be obtained by calling the DEQ Representative closest to you.

[print version]