Risk of asbestos when renovating bathrooms?
Whether in fillers, tile adhesives, plasters, floor coverings or insulation materials — renovating an old bathroom involves many potential risks. One of them: asbestos!
Especially in buildings that were built up to the end of 1992, you should assume that asbestos-containing building materials were used. The ignorance of many do-it-yourselfers regularly results in asbestos fibers being inadvertently released into the air during renovation work. When inhaled, these can lead to serious lung diseases and even cancer. Unfortunately, due to the long incubation period, this usually only becomes apparent after many decades.
But the risk can be significantly reduced if you take appropriate precautions.
In the following section, a 3-point plan is a useful guide.
3-point plan — How to identify a potential asbestos hazard
1. Find out when the house was built
This is the first and probably the easiest and fastest way to rule out possible asbestos contamination. From 1993, the use of asbestos in construction was prohibited. So if you live in a recent building, you're on the safe side.
If, on the other hand, you live in an older house that was built before 1993, the next step is essential:
3. If in doubt, order an asbestos analysis
Can't you rule out the possibility that asbestos-containing materials were used in your bathroom? Then our urgent recommendation is to commission an analysis of the corresponding building materials.
Why is an asbestos analysis so important?
- Asbestos fibers are usually not visible to the eye, as they are often bound in other substances. Asbestos is not detectable by a specific smell. Your health thanks you for it! The long-term consequences, which can only be identified after a few decades, are particularly dangerous. Just a few asbestos fibers can be enough to damage your lungs in the long term. If you know what you're dealing with, you can take appropriate protective measures. Precise analysis technology is required to reliably detect asbestos. Tips from the Internet — such as burning the material in the home environment — do not provide any information about the composition and also endanger you from the resulting vapors. Unknowingly incorrect disposal of waste does not protect against severe fines. If you know your waste, you also know the right way to dispose of it: Asbestos is hazardous waste.
No asbestos test is also no solution
Have you read through our arguments and are still uncertain whether an asbestos analysis is really necessary for the upcoming remediation? After all, have you survived your stay in your bathroom unscathed so far, would you like to start renovating it immediately and would also like to save yourself the costs?
With all the drive, that wouldn't be a good idea! Especially when it comes to asbestos cement and other building materials with bound asbestos, the danger lurks quietly. Because: The dangerous fibers are only released during mechanical processing. The sooner you identify the pollutant, the better you can adapt occupational safety to it.
In addition, you will receive your reliable analysis results within three to four days — even faster if required! When you think you won't have any more hazardous substances in the bathroom in the future, the idea of a short waiting period isn't that bad anymore, is it?
If you look at the costs associated with the total renovation costs, you pay less for the analysis than for a good bathroom faucet — with the bonus that you can do something good for yourself and your loved ones and jump into work with a clear conscience. That's a great perspective.
An overview of our services
CRB Analyse Service is the contract laboratory for asbestos and artificial mineral fiber analyses — your first point of contact if asbestos is suspected.
We work at the highest level and offer you:
- Over 30 years of experience in asbestos testing Accredited test quality & standard-compliant test reports Precise measurement results thanks to experienced scientists and cutting-edge analytical technology All common test procedures for analyzing material and dust samples as well as air samples from room air measurements
The path to asbestos testing has never been easier:
Register a sample online, bag it and send it off. Within three to four days of receipt, you will already have your reliable result.