Non Asbestos Roof Slates

Asbestos roofing tiles are predominately comprised of cement.

Non asbestos roof slates.

Before the 1980s most artificial roofing slate was made from asbestos cement a material that had a long track record of successful performance. The slates are pigmented during production and are fully compressed. A number of non asbestos manufactured or synthetic slates or fiber cement roof shingles slate tiles that were produced when manufacturers stopped using asbestos were made using wood fibers or other materials. It only takes being exposed to asbestos one time to get mesothelioma and other lung diseases and any improper handling of asbestos can impact a person s health down the road.

Cembrit fibercement slates are manufactured using portland cement together with a non asbestos formulation of superior blended synthetic and cellulose fibres. The asbestos content will vary on the manufacturer but the content will typically be 15 or less. Asbestos containing roofing materials were a popular choice for the citizens of the u s. A number of these products promising a life of 50 years or longer were found to fail early in their life in the 1990s.

Asbestos siding in particular however has a tendency to chip crack and break with normal wear and tear of family life. They are finished with a high quality semi matt acrylic coloured coating to the top face and edges and a tinted or transparent high performance binder to the back face. Asbestos was banned in 1989 so as the buildings that incorporated it age their roofing and siding will fall into disrepair. When the use of asbestos became forbidden manufacturers rushed to replace asbestos containing products with cement based products reinforced with non asbestos materials.

Many asbestos roofs and siding are damaged cracked or broken. This can release fibers into the air.