# asbestos in carpet glue



## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

Asbestos has been found in all sorts of flooring mastics. Color doesn't tell you anything. If it was put down before the mid 1980s, then it could contain the big A. The only real way to know is to carefully scrape up a sample and send it to a lab that can test using the Phase Contrast Microscopy (PCM) method. They will issue a report containing the amount and type of asbestos. If it is over 1%, it is considered hazardous. If you have the carpet torn out and plan to cover the area with something, then I would encapsulate it with some sort of paint and leave it alone. What are you planning to do?


----------



## mebsdad (Feb 10, 2007)

I might be getting in a little bit late on this one, but thought I'd throw in my $0.02. I work with asbestos on a daily basis (asbestos inspector, project designer) and yes, I have seen asbestos in carpet mastic many times. While not written in stone, typically if you see that the carpet mastic is yellow and tacky (like contact cement), you typically won't find that it contains asbestos. While this is not the rule, it has historically (in my expreience) held true. The dark brown or black mastics typically are the ones that have asbestos. Also, with no disrespect to Maintenance, the method that you will need to use for asbestos analysis of bulk samples is actually PLM (polarized light micriscopy) vs. PCM (phase contrast microscopy). PCM is used for analysis of airborne fiber samples whle PLM is used for analysis of asbestos in bulk materials (i.e., insulation, mastics, floor tiles, etc.). Hope this helps a bit.


----------



## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

My bad on the PLM. I know better. Thanks! What state are you licensed in, if I may ask?


----------

