Do I need to get shingles tested for asbestos?

how certain is it that Bird brand shingles from the 50’s-80’s or so (guessing) are free of asbestos or anything supertoxic?  My research suggests it’s not in this brand but is there chance they resold other manufacturers’ stuff? Or that there’s something else in there that’s toxic besides just asphalt?  Thanks for any input.

A quick search of the net shows asbestos was rarely used in shingles during that time frame.

Are you removing the shingles where there might be exposure to breathing particles?

No. Just having asbestos siding and roofing on your home does not pose a hazard to your health. Asbestos-containing roofing and siding in good condition are best left alone. Damaged roofing and siding should be carefully repaired.

Asbestos: Homeowner Information - Roofing and Siding - EH
https://www.health.state.mn.us › homeowner › roofside

They're on the dirt floor under the barn, a nd I want to use that floor for animals.  They'll probably kick up some dust.  

They were scattered after being torn down, I guess.

I could kind of gather them up carefully without breaking them too much, but they are already pretty broken up from being dropped there.

Anne Miller wrote:Are you removing the shingles where there might be exposure to breathing particles?

No. Just having asbestos siding and roofing on your home does not pose a hazard to your health. Asbestos-containing roofing and siding in good condition are best left alone. Damaged roofing and siding should be carefully repaired.

Asbestos: Homeowner Information - Roofing and Siding - EH
https://www.health.state.mn.us › homeowner › roofside

Joshua said, "I could kind of gather them up carefully without breaking them too much, but they are already pretty broken up from being dropped there.

I would wear the best masks I could buy, maybe two at a time.

Disposable coveralls are used to keep asbestos-containing debris off of your body. Several pairs of disposable coveralls with built in feet should be available during the removal work and clean up. It is recommended that two suits are worn at the same time.

https://www.health.state.mn.us › asbestos › homeowner

Thanks Anne.

Well, it says the products that included asbestos were their

Bird 15 lb. base sheet
Bird 45 lb. base sheet
Asbestos Felts
Buca™ roof coating
Climitite™ roof coating
Pacific™ asbestos roofing cap sheets

(from that website)

I don't think any of these is a shingle--"felts" seems to be saying 'felt under-layer" but I am not sure.

Anne Miller wrote:https://www.mesothelioma.com/asbestos-exposure/companies/bird-corporation/

I personally, would not take any chances.

I would proceed as above, with disposable coveralls and masks.

Those are a small price to pay as it will be many years until you know what damage was done without them.

After considering this, are you wanting to leave the singles where they are?

Whenever I've removed anything suspected to be made with asbestos, I've gently misted it first with water to keep the dust down. A good magnet might help find any nails that could be hidden afterwards.  

As I understand it, the risk from asbestos is ingesting airborne fibres into the lungs or digestive system.

To reduce risk, I would wear P100 respiratory protection (half mask respirator) and saturate the work area into wet mud before disturbing the shingles.

There is still some concern around clothing that has been exposed, as fibres can be released into the air later. In industry, disposable coveralls and gloves are used for that reason.  

I'm gonna get the shingles tested at some point.

Meantime I'll use the other side of the barn, and that means I only have to move two bags of shingles still in their packages, unbroken.  I'll wrap some plastic over them first.  I don't have any respirators, and it seems overkill for just moving the two bags carefully without disturbing or breaking them, wrapped.  If the other ones turn out to test for asbestos, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.  And I'll cordon off that section of the basement so that the animals can't get into it (hog panels staked down plus poultry netting/chicken wire to the ceiling.

To all the early-20th-century farmers reading this back in time, please don't leave asbestos on our land, it's a real pain in the tuchas!

Paul Stamets remediating/sequestering asbestos with mycelia:

"Related to water contamination is the environmental issue of wildfires. Studies undertaken by mycoremediation organization CoRenewal analyzed toxic ash residue collecting in bodies of water from the California wildfires and developed solutions to remediate both the soil and the waterways affected. The chemical composition of toxic ash observed from the wildfires contained harmful levels of asbestos, lead, arsenic, and plastics. By installing hay bales full of oyster mushroom mycelium, these heavy metals, harmful Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and even TNT were able to be cleared from water sources before they could reach more publicly accessible water collections (32)." (https://www.realmushrooms.com/mycoremediation-mushrooms-pollution/). Not a slam dunk but worth exploring, better than nothing.

NIH: "It has been demonstrated that fungi and lichens can remove iron from solid asbestos materials. "

lichens/fungi removing the iron from the silica in the asbestos thereby eliminating the caricinogenic quality.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7707057/

Joshua Myrvaagnes wrote:I'm gonna get the shingles tested at some point.

One thing to consider is that if they test positive, you now have a known hazardous material on your property. There could be various repercussions from this knowledge, based upon local, state, and federal laws.  

As a homeowner dealing with possible asbestos containing material, your best bet, in lieu of hiring a contractor for several thousands of dollars is to wet the material with a garden hose, put on a N-91 dust mask and bag it up in contractor strength garbage bags.  Dispose of as normal garbage.

I worked in the asbestos abatement trade for 7 years.  It's a racket.

Thanks Thomas.  

Update--for the moment I've just moved the problem over from one side of the  barn floor to the other side--so it's more collected together.  Fro mmy research it looks like it's a very small chance that it's got the asbestos, but I am taking precautions and being careful and trying not to break them.