I am the (volunteer) Volunteer Coordinator for Gloucester County (NJ) Habitat for Humanity and I'm looking for a firm to do some discounted (or preferably gratis) asbestos testing on our behalf. We normally build new homes, but every once in a while a generous benefactor will donate an existing property to us.

We currently have one home from 1956 that we are gutting and renovating. My biggest concern is some ceiling tile we'd prefer to take off rather than cover up, and the next biggest is the vermiculite in the attic. On the latter, the EPA says just to assume that it contains asbestos as 70-80% of the vermiculite from that era does. Which is fine if you live there, don't go up in the attic and let it lie - millions of homes have it. But we may have to consider patching at least part of the ceiling and roof and that would stir things up, so it would be helpful to know for sure. There are also two other possible samples from that one home and a ceiling in a second home that we might also want to get done.

Does anyone have suggestions for a firm that would be willing to cut us a break on pricing for these tests? I contacted EMSL Analytical which has a local office, but they had no interest in helping out our charity - not even a tiny discount. They want $189 for the vermiculite and $105 each for to test samples of ceiling/floor tiles or duct wrap. Our budgeted amount is, of course, zero.

Thanks in advance,

Rob Toreki

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