Thread: Asbestos?! worried sick mother here! help!

i have a badly damaged ceiling tile in my childs room that got pretty tore up while a pipe was taken out. its still hanging there all ugly and has been for about 2 years. well recently i started learning about asbestos and i have convinced myself its asbestos and we are all doomed. this may sound silly, but i have horrible hypochondria and ocd, so plleeeaasee please dont pick on me for this. i am worried sick about my children being exposed. so worried i cannot eat or sleep. i dont even know if it is asbestos. i cannot afford to have it tested. i was told by the owner of the building its not asbestos because they just lowered the ceilings 13 years ago, but duh...of course he wouldnt tell me the truth would he?? someone please put my mind at ease. i was told that smooth 12x12 ceiling tiles with a brown core are pretty safe and i need to relax. but how can i??? i need some experienced peoples input here. help me please!!

Originally Posted by Amy Terry

i have a badly damaged ceiling tile in my childs room that got pretty tore up while a pipe was taken out. its still hanging there all ugly and has been for about 2 years. well recently i started learning about asbestos and i have convinced myself its asbestos and we are all doomed. this may sound silly, but i have horrible hypochondria and ocd, so plleeeaasee please dont pick on me for this. i am worried sick about my children being exposed. so worried i cannot eat or sleep. i dont even know if it is asbestos. i cannot afford to have it tested. i was told by the owner of the building its not asbestos because they just lowered the ceilings 13 years ago, but duh...of course he wouldnt tell me the truth would he?? someone please put my mind at ease. i was told that smooth 12x12 ceiling tiles with a brown core are pretty safe and i need to relax. but how can i??? i need some experienced peoples input here. help me please!!

Hi Amy,

Unfortunately, the only way to positively determine content is to get it tested. Most websites are not much help because they are written to frighten, not inform. There are labs out there that will test a sample for about $50. For peace of mind, it might be worth it.

Below, I have posted a link to a site that I have found to be fairly accurate. I don't verify all of their statements though.

Hope this helps.

Asbestos ceiling tiles: How to recognize ceiling tiles that may contain asbestos - Asbestos Visual Identification in buildings: How to find recognize, and identify asbestos or asbestos-containing materials in buildings by visual inspection methods -

thank you for your reply! although i would give my right foot to have it tested right now i just cant afford it :-( still worried sick.

HI Amy,
Like Gunnar said, the only way to know for sure is to have it tested.
That said, I have sampled hundreds of building materials and had them tested. I never had a positive test come back on a ceiling tile that had a brown core.
My gut feeling is you are probably OK, but to be positive, you need to have it tested.

If you cannot afford testing, my suggestion is to soak the tile with soapy water so that it is completely soaked. Then remove the tile and dispose of in sealed garbage bag.

You and baby are not in jeopardy from one hanging tile. Its long term exposure by large quantities of friable asbestos, if the tile even contains asbestos.

Originally Posted by Raymond Wand

If you cannot afford testing, my suggestion is to soak the tile with soapy water so that it is completely soaked. Then remove the tile and dispose of in sealed garbage bag.

You and baby are not in jeopardy from one hanging tile. Its long term exposure by large quantities of friable asbestos, if the tile even contains asbestos.

thank you so much for the reply and ifo!

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thanks everyone for the input. i do feel more at ease about the situation! i appreciate it more than you know!

If the ceiling is/was damaged and the house was built prior to 1978, I would be more concerned about the possibility of Lead Based Paint contamination. Your local city/county health department should be able to give you information on how to protect yourself and family from possible lead based paint as well as asbestos contamination. Many will also provide free blood/lead level testing for children.