Roofing Felt

In the past, asbestos was used in roofing felt in order to strengthen the base material, but grit dispersions have also partially led to asbestos contamination. That is why roofing felt has to be disposed of properly.

In July 2018, the SBB (Special Waste Association of Brandenburg Berlin mbH) updated their fact sheet for disposing roofing felt waste containing tar. Since then, roofing felt waste that contains asbestos must be identified explicitly. The batches of waste that contain asbestos have to be collected, transported, stored, and disposed of separately from materials that are free of asbestos. The goal is to prevent contaminated roofing felt from entering waste incineration plants so that no fibers are released. A limit of detection must be significantly under 0.1 % mass. The combination of the matrix and the very low limit of detection is very challenging to analyze; only few laboratories can provide this analysis reliably and with high quality.

The specialized, high-performance laboratories of the GBA Group are capable of analyzing roofing felt waste in accordance with the SBB requirements for asbestos and artificial mineral fibers with a detection limit as low as 0.001 % mass, in accordance with Annex B of the VDI 3866 (Sheet 5), within a short time and reliably. We are even able to combine this with the analysis of PAHs and mercury so that you are able to offer your roofing felt waste to waste disposal contractors without a long waiting period.

Even the smallest amount from a private household has to be analyzed by a technical laboratory in accordance with the regulations before it can be disposed of. Skilled tradespeople, especially roofers, should have their building materials analyzed before beginning their work, so they can take appropriate measures for workplace health and safety.