Frequently Asked Questions

 

Why follow the REGULATION (O.Reg. 278/05)?

• This regulation is in place for the safety and wellbeing of everyone who may handle asbestos which is a hazardous material.
• The regulation exists because asbestos exposure can cause serious illness or death.
• Just because you cannot see asbestos, does not mean it is not harmful.
• LEX Scientific Inc. is legally required to follow the Regulation. We risk undermining the accuracy and integrity of our business if we do not follow these regulations.

Why THREE samples?

• The minimum number of samples required (typically three) is based on the size of the area and material type.
• Asbestos was used both in manufactered materials, as well as added to materials during construction. Because of this, you want multiple samples to account for inconsistencies in potential asbestos containing materials.
• Analysis of only a single sample of a material could result in a false negative since it does not account for material inconsistency.

What are LAYERS?

• Asbestos can be found in a variety of different materials. For example, a scratch coat and a finish coat can be stuck together but possibly only one contains asbestos; or a floor tile might not contain asbestos, but the mastic (glue) that holds it down could contain asbestos.
• These potential layers can often include: scratch coat, finish coat, mastic, plaster etc.

Why sample the layers SEPERATELY?

• There is no simple way to guess which layer may or may not have asbestos.
• Separating the layers provides clearer and more specific results, allowing you can safely pinpoint how you handle each material.
• If all layers are mixed together as one analysis, any findings in one material will be diluted by the other layers. For example if you have a sample with three layers and only one contains dangerous levels of asbestos, by combining them in one analysis it could make it appear that the sample does not have dangerous levels of asbestos.

What if I do NOT provide the required number of samples?

• If you do not have the correct number of samples tested; or choose not to have all layers of each sample tested, you are at risk of invalidating your results.
• If you disregard these recommendations, we may choose not to accept your samples until the proper procedure is followed.

 

Materials That Can Contain Asbestos (Non Exhaustive)

 

Adhesives	Roofing	Ceilings and Floors
Caulking	Tar roof membrane	Vinyl floor sheeting
Joint compounds	Roofing shingles	Vinyl floor tiles
Mastic (glue)	Roofing tar	Ceiling tiles
Cementitiuous Materials	Insulation	Miscellaneous
Transite piping or sheeting	Loose-fill insulation (vermiculite)	Fume hood sheeting
Decorative plaster	Piping and parged elbow insulation	Fire doors
Texture coating	Spray Fireproofing	Fire stop insulation
Wall plaster	Duct insulation and parging	Blackboards
Popcorn ceiling	Electrical wire insulation	Lab benches
Drywall joint compound	light fixture backing plates	Asbestos papering

The best way to determine potential asbestos containing materials at your home or facility is to have one of LEX's trained environmental technologists complete a survey to identify these materials. Please Contact Us if you would like to speak with one of our consulting staff.

 

For guidelines on how to take samples yourself, visit our Sampling Guide.