Asbestos survey and asbestos test – sample and analysis

An asbestos survey answers the question everything else depends on: is there asbestos in the material you are about to touch? We sample the materials your project goes into, send them for laboratory analysis and collect the answers in a report you and your tradesperson can build on. Here you can read when to test, what we sample, the difference between a visual check and an analysis, and what you get in hand afterwards.

When should you test for asbestos?

The rule is simple: if you are going to demolish, sand, drill, scrape or remove a material in a building from before 1990, you should know whether it contains asbestos before you start. Asbestos was as a rule banned in construction in 1972, but with exemptions until 1986 indoors and 1990 outdoors; asbestos fibre-cement sheets were produced until 1988 and laid until around 1990. Asbestos sits in roofs, tile adhesive, ceiling boards, wall boards, pipe insulation, floor glue, vinyl, filler, sealant and roofing felt.

If you are only painting or hanging new wallpaper over the old, the material releases few fibres, and there is rarely any reason to test. If you are buying a house, a survey of the roof and bathroom can spare you a surprise after taking over.

Visual check or analysis: the difference

A visual check is when someone who knows the materials looks at age and year of construction and says: you should test this. It is a useful first step, but it is a suspicion, not an answer. Asbestos fibres cannot be seen with the naked eye, and materials with and without asbestos look the same. Photos and the year of construction can raise a suspicion, but they can never confirm it; only a laboratory analysis can. We never judge a material conclusively from a photo or a description.

An analysis is when a sample of the material is examined under a microscope at a laboratory. The answer is whether the sample contains asbestos, and which type. That is the answer the Danish Working Environment Authority, the municipality and your tradesperson can use.

What we sample

Corrugated fibre cement

The grey, wavy roof on houses from before 1990. We take the sample from an edge or an already broken sheet, never by drilling into the roof. What happens if the answer is yes is on the page about asbestos roof removal.

Fibre-cement slates

Small, flat roof tiles, produced with asbestos until 1986. They break easily, so the sample is taken from a loose or already damaged slate. Removal is on the page about asbestos roof removal.

Tile adhesive and floors

Adhesive behind tiles, black glue under vinyl and the vinyl itself, typically from before 1980. The sample is taken from a joint or an edge before anyone knocks a tile loose. Read more about asbestos in tile adhesive and floors.

Pipe insulation and diatomite

The white, chalky insulation around heating pipes in basements and plant rooms. The sample is taken from a spot that is already damaged, and the spot is sealed afterwards. Read more about asbestos in pipe insulation.

Ceiling boards, render and filler

Soft, light ceiling boards from the 1950s to 70s, hard fibre-cement boards, and the layers behind the wallpaper. We take a small sample from an edge of every layer you plan to work in. Read more about asbestos in ceilings and walls.

Roofing felt

Older roofing felt and underlay could contain asbestos. The sample is taken from an edge at a flashing, without opening the roof. Disposal follows the same rules as roof sheets, see the page about asbestos roof removal.

Loft insulation

Loose insulation and wrapping around pipes and ducts in the loft from before 1980. The sample is taken where the material already lies exposed. Read more about asbestos in pipe insulation.

Asbestos cord and gaskets

Cord, gaskets and flange washers in boilers, hatches and old wood-burning stoves. Small quantities, but dusting when they crumble. Removal comes under asbestos in pipe insulation.

How the sampling works

We go through the building with you and agree which materials to test: the ones your project goes into, not the whole house, unless you ask for it. From each material we take a small sample from an edge or a spot that is already damaged, with protective equipment and tools that keep the dust in. The sample spot is sealed, the sample is packed and labelled, and it is sent for analysis. Samples of many materials in one day means one report and one price. Sampling in itself is not asbestos work that has to be notified to the Working Environment Authority; it is the removal that is notified.

Answer and report

The report shows where each sample was taken, with photo and location, what the laboratory found in it, and what it means for your project: whether the material can stay, whether it should be encapsulated, or whether it has to be removed before the work continues. If asbestos is found, we map the extent so a quote for removal, ours or anyone else’s, is based on what is actually in the building.

The report is yours. Your tradesperson needs it before the work starts, and it is the basis for the notification to the Working Environment Authority that a removal requires. A positive result goes straight into a quote for removal, if you want one, without a new walk-through.

What does an asbestos survey cost?

The price is set by the number of materials to be sampled, plus travel, and you get it in writing before we take the first sample. One sample of one material is the smallest job; a walk-through of the whole house before a purchase or a full renovation is a larger one, but samples taken on the same day are collected in one report and one price. What drives the price is on the pricing page.

Environmental screening before demolition and conversion

Before demolition, renovation or larger maintenance that affects more than 10 m² or produces more than 1 tonne of waste, you as the building owner must under the waste rules screen the building for problematic substances, map the finds and notify the waste to your municipality. Asbestos is one; lead in paint, PCB in sealants, chlorinated paraffins and heavy metals are the others. We do the asbestos part, help with the municipality’s waste notification and can coordinate with the consultant who takes the rest.

From survey to removal

If the samples show asbestos, you have a choice, not a problem. The report tells you what has to be removed and what can stay. If you want us to do it, you get a written quote after a site visit for exactly the extent the report shows. If you would rather have someone else do it, the report is just as usable there. What drives the price of removal is on the pricing page.