# Forum Home Renovation Asbestos  Is one sample from one wall enough for each room?

## constipated

Hi guys, I got 2 samples done, 1 from the toilet, and 1 from the bathroom.  
The toilet has come back positive with asbestos (so I will assume that all walls inside the toilet is asbestos). However the bathroom has come back negative; my concern is that I only got a small sample from 1 out of the 4 walls in the bathroom. Is it safe to assume the other walls are safe too; or should I have taken a sample from each wall inside the bathroom?  
Cheers

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## Oldsaltoz

You should take a sample of every sheet to be sure.

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## Consultant

It's not safe to assume any walls don't have asbestos if one came back hot, unless you go and test every wall. Exterior walls could have been put in at a different time than interior walls. Also asbestos was an additive so it's inconsistent in the joint compound.  
Note that your walls themselves are not asbestos containing. It's only the mudding compound on the joints and connecting the drywall sections. 
Test every corner. Don't try and remove it yourself if it's hot, hire an abatement company.

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## droog

> Note that your walls themselves are not asbestos containing. It's only the mudding compound on the joints and connecting the drywall sections.

  If you are a consultant then you may want to do your research a bit more. Here in Australia it was common to use Asbestos Cement (AC) sheet in wet areas including toilets, bathrooms and laundries.
These areas were often not finished with as you refer "mudding compound" but were often finished with timber or plastic joiners or cover strips.

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## Spottiswoode

Two choices: assume all walls are asbestos or get some more testing done. If it is positive in one room, I’d assume there would be more, unless you can see there has been a much more recent renovation in the bathroom.  
Get a a quote to treat all as asbestos, if it is much too high, get some more testing done to minimise your removal costs.

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## Consultant

> If you are a consultant then you may want to do your research a bit more. Here in Australia it was common to use Asbestos Cement (AC) sheet in wet areas including toilets, bathrooms and laundries.
> These areas were often not finished with as you refer "mudding compound" but were often finished with timber or plastic joiners or cover strips.

  There is no history of the use of AC in my country. Although perhaps I should be knowledgeable about that. I don't intend to work in Australia. Asbestos Cement is commonly used in in NA as roofing material and sometimes pipe covers.  
There's a good reason why you should always ask a professional within your district about potential asbestos materials.

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## METRIX

> Note that your walls themselves are not asbestos containing. It's only the mudding compound on the joints and connecting the drywall sections. 
> Test every corner. Don't try and remove it yourself if it's hot, hire an abatement company.

  This is miss-information for Australia- Asbestos is very common in almost every house in one form or another built up to around 1985, common places to find it are in the FC sheeting in eaves, laundry / bathroom /  kitchen linings, as it was part of the mixture James Hardie used when producing the sheets, it is also in old carpet underlay, lino, lino glue and many other places. 
And people say Australians are slow to react to stuff. 
 Canada was still exporting Asbestos in 2011, then the mines were closed so they started importing it to continue using it in brake pads, clutches etc.
In 2018 yes 2018 Canada is still finalizing it plans for total bans on Asbestos !!!!!!!! *
Bonded asbestos products*  The vast majority of asbestos-containing products used in houses were bonded asbestos cement materials, including:  roofing  shingles and siding (villaboard and similar)  exterior and interior wall cladding  eaves  fencing  thermal boards around fireplaces  water or flue pipes.  *Friable asbestos products*  Some friable asbestos products may also be found in houses, including:  asbestos-rope door gaskets in wood stoves  loose fill roofing insulation (not common)  spray-on insulation or soundproofing  low-density asbestos fibre board  insulation on hot-water pipes, domestic heaters and stoves (e.g. lagging)  backing material on floor tiles and vinyl flooring  carpet underlay (not common; see page when are householders likely to be exposed to asbestos?)  textured paints, decorative ceiling coatings  heat-resistant fabrics  brick and plaster sealants, fillers and some adhesive products  hail or fire damaged, or badly weathered asbestos cement materials.

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