Asbestos Testing in Rental House in DC- My Catch 22
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Anonymous
| We had a roof leak several months ago that damaged our old-school drop-down ceiling tiles. Several tiles have signs of water damage and some have cracked or crumbled. I had the landlord send someone to test for mold months ago and the results came clear so I thought everything was fine. But a few respiratory illnesses later I finally am realizing that these types of tiles can have asbestos. I am trying to find someone reputable to test them at my own expense. One of the companies I contacted said I would need the landlord's permission. However this same landlord has already given us notice to leave (separate matter we are already addressing) partly because we were squeaky wheels about the roof leak. Please can someone help me figure out if there is asbestos in a professional and safe manner. If I take it to the landlord, they will probably swiftly remove the tiles in question- a) causing further disturbances b) we will never know if we have been exposed c) the battle with our landlords will step-up even more. Can someone recommend a professional, and can anyone advise about the need for landlord permission (one company told me it would be stealing from the landlord to take a sample, even though the tiles are already crumbling apart). I really need to address this issue ASAP as we have small children. Any ideas? |
Anonymous
| you sound terrible |
Anonymous
| Are the tiles newer? When was the basement redone? Likely they are not a problem. |
Anonymous
Wow, OP here, we were considered very good, stable tenants until our landlords refused to respond to the leak. These problems wouldn't have even occurred if it didn't take them several months to fix it, upon which we got an illegal notice to leave. It's actually the owner that has treated us like disposable waste. I'm not trying to cause trouble, I'm just trying to get peace of mind about my family. Thanks for judging when we are already in a very difficult position. |
Anonymous
They were already here when we moved in, and are retro looking office style tiles (just like the ones I found on a FAQ about asbestos). Unfortunately it's not in a basement but in our living room/play area and our bedroom. The reason for my concern is that they have already been disturbed a lot by repairmen shifting them around (leaving tons of debris at the time), water damage and some have big cracks or crumbles. Thank you for your help! |
Anonymous
|
OP, this sounds terrible. It sounds like it's bad even if they don't have asbestos. I'd take a lot of pictures and make plans to move out.
Find an online lab and send them a sample of the tile. I can't see why you'd need to give them any additional information, like that it's not from your house. DC has really strong tenant laws. Call DCRA or another agency to see if they can help. |
Anonymous
Thank you for your advice! Unfortunately DCRA won't handle asbestos (same with mold too), but we did find another office that may help. Unfortunately if will still involve more confrontation. We're trying to move but are really priced out right now. And I need to know if we've been exposed either way. I think I will go the online lab route. It's not like I'll cause much more damage. But yeah, one of the things the technicians keep asking is if we own our place. I'm just not able to lie. Guess I'll get my husband to do that 
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Anonymous
| Just hire someone to test and don't tell them yu are a tenant. |
Anonymous
| Ok---you do know that asbestos exposure is insidious and causes fibrosis over many years of exposure, right? And certain odd types of cancer, most of which take years to develop. |
Anonymous
OP here, yes I'm terrified because of that. We've lived with these tiles for many years, but it only occurred to me today. The house itself pre-dates asbestos, but these ceiling tiles could be from the prime years. Unfortunately the tiles have been damaged and replaced in the past too, so I'm praying that it's me being paranoid. That's why I got pretty frustrated calling around to companies and being asked if I was the owner. I need to test before the owner replaces them so I'll know if we've been exposed. Concerned if I do it myself it won't be accurate. Thank you. |
Anonymous
| OP (again!), that and I just got results from a chest xray that shows scar tissue in my lungs. One thing led to another with my research and here I am panicking over something that may be too late. |
Anonymous
|
Unless you've been living there ten to fifteen years, or maybe even more, your current symptoms have nothing to do with possible asbestos in those tiles.
Relax. Take some pictures. Get someone to come out and do a sample. Or, just ignore it. You need to move out anyway it sounds. And if it is asbestos, there's nothing you can do about it now. |
Anonymous
errrr, we've been here over 10... so yeah, I'm worried. And as I mentioned, we've been priced out, more specifically of our current school zone. But yes we need to move. Just don't know if the kids being exposed for too long. I do have pre-existing pulmonary issues, so hopefully that's all that is causing me issues, rather than environmental, or just everything. Thank you for the realistic advice. |
Anonymous
OP You have retaliation written all over this letter. Even if the tiles contain asbestos or vermiculite the minor exposure you have had is not going to cause the problems you describe. You have the landlord's permission to leave and you should do so as quickly as possible. |
Anonymous
| Correct me if I'm wrong, but asbestos (usually) only causes problems when it's been disturbed. If it's only recently that the tiles have been subjected to damage and they haven't been touched in the past 10 years you might not have any exposure. I would seal the damaged area with a plastic covering until you move out. |