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Some homeowners don't conduct asbestos surveys before renovations are done to their homes. Such homeowners may be driven by their belief in common misconceptions about asbestos in homes. This article discusses some of the misconceptions that should not lead you into avoiding conducting an asbestos survey prior to the commencement of renovation work on your home.

Misconception 1: You Can Use Your Naked Eye to Identify Asbestos

Many people believe that all asbestos is white and chalky in appearance. Such people therefore think that they can just look at a substance and correctly identify whether it contains asbestos or not. This is wrong because asbestos can occur in different colours and forms. Only laboratory tests can provide conclusive proof that a substance contains asbestos or not. You should therefore avoid thinking that an asbestos test or survey isn't necessary just because there are no white, chalky substances within the rooms that you would like to renovate.

Misconception 2: New Buildings Don't Contain Asbestos

You may have heard that asbestos is more likely to be found in older buildings. This does not mean that new buildings never contain asbestos. How is this possible yet it is now illegal to use building materials that contain asbestos? The person who built your home may have used salvaged materials that contained asbestos. You may have also bought antique building materials that contained asbestos when you renovated your home earlier on. As earlier stated, there is no guarantee that a new house will be free from asbestos. Conduct an asbestos survey so that you are sure about the absence of asbestos in your home before renovation work begins.

Misconception 3: It Is Expensive to Manage Asbestos

Never fear to conduct an asbestos survey just because you fear that it will be very costly for you to manage any asbestos that is discovered. Asbestos management may be as easy as applying a coat of paint on a surface that contains asbestos. Besides, the risks of exposing your family members to asbestos far outweigh any cost that you may incur to manage the asbestos once it is discovered in your home.

Knowledge is power. Never remain guessing about the existence of asbestos in your home. Hire experts to conduct a survey to pinpoint where asbestos is present in your home. This information will help you to decide on the best course of action to deal with the discovered asbestos. For instance, you may hire asbestos removal experts to remove the asbestos in the section of your home that you would like to renovate. This will save you from any liability issues in case a contractor is exposed to asbestos that you neglected to remove. For more information, contact a business such as Total Asbestos Services.