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When learning how to test for asbestos in a popcorn ceiling, you have an option for a DIY job or to hire a professional tester. You can purchase a kit at a hardware store and use personal protective equipment while doing the test. If you don’t want to risk any potential exposure to asbestos, hire a professional asbestos testing company instead.

Asbestos can be found in many building materials, especially if the materials were installed more than 20 years ago. Asbestos-containing materials (ACM) can include:

• Acoustic ceiling tiles

• Furnace insulation

• Home appliances

• Fire-retardant clothing

• Cement pipe

• Pipe insulation

• Wall and ceiling insulation

• Vehicle brake pads

• Vinyl flooring

• Sprayed acoustic ceilings

• Stove insulation

• Patching compounds

• Textured paints

• Roofing shingles

• Siding

No, not all popcorn ceilings have asbestos, but a vast majority do. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned its use in 1973, although it still may have been used up through the early ‘90s. But, in general, homes built or remodeled before the early ‘80s likely utilized materials with asbestos. That being said, a professional test is the only way to determine for sure.

Although the use of asbestos has declined since the 1980s, it remains in several different types of building construction materials for insulation and as a fire retardant. Typically, asbestos can be found in materials such as ceiling and floor tiles, heat-resistant fabrics and coatings, and roof shingles. You may also find asbestos in textured paint and patching compounds.