I have rain coming through the top panel of my window frame. The paint is coming down and there's some muddy stuff behind it. How do I tell the difference between wet asbestos and wet drywall?
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otoko no onna
ANSWERS: 1
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How old is the house? 1989 saw a large ban of asbestos, houses built after that time have very little sources of asbestos, houses built before then may (not always, but could) have asbestos. There was an earlier banning of things like linoleum in the 1970's which covered most sources of asbestos. Drywall is usually a brown paper backing with a gray side - gray side is supposed to be hung toward the interior. Inside of that you usually have a white chalky substance not "brown" white. when wet it can become grayish. Plaster can have either a cement-gray "scratch coat" or a "brown coat" which is/was in many cases brown. http://www.oldhouseweb.com/stories/Detailed/202.shtml "Mud" can also be the sign of insect damage. Many insects use or make a mud-like substance. Termite and carpenter ants can use wood which under the right conditions (when wet, mixes with dust and debris) look like mud. Asbestos test packages can be found at hardware stores. for an idea of what to look for: http://www.homestoreproducts.com/asbestos-test-kit.htm Note all of the other things that can now be tested by the home owner, lead, radon, mold, etc.
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