Asbestos is used as a building material due to its lightness and durability. It is hazardous to health because asbestos particles in the air form lung depositions and increase the risk of respiratory tract diseases including mesothelioma cancers and lung cancer. The asbestos test is performed on Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM) that have asbestos percentage ranging from zero to hundred percent. Laboratories do the asbestos test through polarized light microscopy at an EPA approved testing laboratory.
The asbestos test is done to find the various forms of hazardous asbestos in our surroundings. Chysotile, Amosite and Crocidolite are the commercially viable forms of asbestos. Anthophyllite, Tremolite and Actinolite are less commercially viable. Chysotile (white asbestos) constitutes a major portion of buildings in the United States while Amosite (brown asbestos) is given second preference and Crocidolite (blue asbestos) is used for specialized high temperature applications.
Sampling for Asbestos Test
The role of asbestos test lab is to advice on the amount and procedure of taking samples and the use of right container for asbestos testing. This is very...