Cleanning Contractors' Page

Carpets May Have Asbestos-containing Backing

Although carpets don't contain asbestos normally, it may at times contain asbestos. It has been found that some fibrous backing of certain kinds of carpets contain some amount of asbestos. Because of this, it's not a good practice to assume carpets don't contain asbestos and skip the sampling of carpets material.

Carpet Mastic Is Often Postive

Often times, mastic, or glue as it is refered to sometimes, may contain asbestos even though the carpets themselves are negative for asbestos. There are two kinds of mastic associated with carpets, the brown mastic and the black asphaltic mastic. Generally, the black asphaltic mastic are more likely to contain asbestos than its brown counterparts. If the mastic is positive, it will contain 2% to 5% asbestos.

Carpets Are Reservoirs for Asbestos

Because of its fibrous nature, carpets are good reserviors for asbestos, and a continuing source of releasing asbestos into the air once it's trapped in it. There has been study done that shows available cleaning methods for fabric items that were significantly impacted by asbestos dust or debris may not be sufficient to address the health risk associated.