Asbestos is still found in a wide number of materials from obvious sources such as pipe lagging, ceiling and roof panels to the unobvious such as bitumen based materials used on floors, textured ceiling coatings and many others.

The Southern Group UK is on hand to provide testing and advice. The laboratory will test suspect materials for Asbestos and provide a 48-hour response.

Bulk samples can be taken by our technical staff or delivered. All tests are undertaken in a controlled environment, samples are tested to prove or disprove the presence of Asbestos. This is conducted using polarised light microscopy and refractive index liquids.

There are three commonly found asbestos types. These are Crocidolite (Blue), Amosite (Brown) and Chrysotile (White). Asbestos products have a varying degree of hazard associated with them, which is determined by the type of material and the asbestos content.

Using the asbestos bulk identification service it is possible to identify the type of fibres in the sample and the approximate percentage present. Once the type of asbestos has been established Southern Group UK can give advice on remedial action and/or removal.

 Samples viewed by polarised light microscopy using refractive index liquids.