how to tell if ceiling has asbestos in ?

Its a 1950s house, ceiling looks like artex. Anyway to tell without spending £££ for a sample to be tested?

Artex, 1950s? Assume the worst.

Seriously though it probably has some white asbestos bulking. A test isn’t that expensive. Have you phoned up a specialist to ask for a price for a simple survey?

The only way is to get a sample tested.

What is the action needed if it is? Tear the whole ceiling down?

Just skim over it.

1950s? Your house is probably full of it. If you want rid, I’d just skim over it too.

How old are you? Mesothelioma usually takes a good 20 years to show up. If you’re 50 odd I’d not be too worried.

Edinburgh city council test it for a wopping £25 I assume all council provide this service.

Conqueror, there’s no way to tell unless you sample it and have it tested in a lab. They’ll need to take more than once sample as this stuff was usually site mixed and the asbestos fibres may not be even throughout the mix. Testing however is cheap, bulk costs are about a tenner a sample. Ring a few local labs and get a quote, they’ll probably have a flat rate for this kind of householder test.

If it’s positive and you want rid (rather than skimming over) then you’d probably want the ceiling taken down in manageable sections then reboarded and skimmed. This is not a licenced job, but needs to be done by someone who’d competent and the material removed as Asbestos Waste.

Risk from Chrysotile (white asbestos) is massively less than other types, however sanding to remove (often done in times past) is really dodgy.

Jeff

Google for a lab that will test it if the £25 council charge is too much for you.

As above. There’s loads of useful HSE resources on asbestos and what you can do in you in your home.

The stuff you really want to worry about is pipe lagging and asbestos insulating board (AIB, often used as a fireshield on the ceilngs of integral garages – just like I have).

Also, you might find your flooring is made up of vinyl “Marley” tiles – some of these are asbestos containing. So also worth checking. My house is pretty much lined with them….