Copies of the completed checklist should be submitted with your application for a building permit and kept on-site during all renovation or demolition activities. The APCD does not provide testing to determine the presence of asbestos in buildings. Asbestos is likely to be present in buildings and homes constructed before 1978. Buildings constructed after 1980 probably don't contain asbestos because asbestos was banned from most building materials in 1978. However, some previously manufactured products remained available and were used in the construction of buildings and homes for several years.
Asbestos containing materials are dangerous only if damaged or disturbed.
If you have an acoustic ceiling which you suspect contains asbestos, for example, you should not drill holes in it or disturb it while changing light bulbs or other such work. Do not dust, sweep, or vacuum particles suspected of containing asbestos. This will disturb tiny asbestos fibers and may make them airborne. The fibers are so small they will pass through normal vacuum cleaner filters and re-enter the air. Certified asbestos workers use specially designed vacuum cleaners and other procedures to remove asbestos dust.