ASBESTOS IN BULK BUILDING MATERIALS: ANALYSIS AND IDENTIFICATION

7 Jan 2016

The first step in properly dealing with asbestos is identifying it. You cannot just ‘take a look’ and then say with certainty whether it contains asbestos or not. There are specialised laboratories that deal with this issue.

 

Called upon to identify asbestos in bulk building materials, these laboratories use a variety of testing methods to locate asbestos in a wide range of samples. The most popular method is theStereomicroscope Analysis. This particular test involves placing the sample in a dust cabinet and studying it under a stereomicroscope (10x - 40x magnification). This is not a conclusive test, but following it provides an indication as to what type of fibres you are dealing with.

 

Asbestos fibers under the microscope (photo source)

 

Usually, the Stereomicroscope Analysis is followed by the PLM method (Polarized Light Microscopy). The PLM’s role is not just to reveal asbestos contents, but also to determine what kind of asbestos the sample contains (Chrysotile, Amosite, Crocidolite etc.) The process is based on treating the sample with dispersion staining liquids and analysing the optical properties displayed.

 

The two methods presented above are usually sufficient to provide a correct and conclusive answer to the presence of asbestos. However, during these processes, it may be found that additional methods are required. These could be: X-Ray diffraction (XRD) or Electron Microscopy (EM).

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