Asbestos cement roofing is more likely to be a possible problem source of asbestos material if the roof is power washed or mechanically damaged such as by running a power saw through it during demolition or replacement.
Asbestos roof material.
It is made of a mix of cement and asbestos fibers and as the majority of the materials which contain asbestos it is only dangerous when damaged and in poor condition.
In the early 1920s american roofing material manufacturers johns mansville carey eternit and century were all offering at least one asbestos cement roofing shingle to their customers.
See epa s about pdf page to learn more.
Found as an underlayment for both pitched and flat roofing.
Asphalt tar paper this is probably the most prevalent acm asbestos containing material found when doing remodels for roofing projects.
The use of asbestos cement roof shingles was growing at a steady rate in the united states.
Flat roofs often chose tar with gravel stones while pitched roofs used layered asphalt shingles.
It was one of the most used types of asbestos containing material for roof building mainly as an underlayment.
History of asbestos in roofing roofing materials widely varied as well.
You may need a pdf reader to view some of the files on this page.
Manufacturers from about 1940 mid 1970 s used asbestos in the this base material.
Regardless of roof style almost all petroleum based roofing materials once contained deadly asbestos fibers.