Asbestos In Home Attic Insulation

Several years ago asbestos was commonly used in everything from shingles to floor tiles and asbestos insulation was used in many homes that were built in the 1950s and 1960s.

Asbestos in home attic insulation.

There are many different kinds of wool like insulation that are man made and do not have asbestos but if your attic insulation looks like wool than it is best to be safe and have it tested by a professional. The insulation was sold under the brand name zonolite. Loose fill insulation comes in a variety of materials. Asbestos is actually a natural fiber so if your attic insulation looks like wool there is a slight chance that it will contain asbestos.

The white tape you see above is of the type that often contains asbestos although you don t really know without sending a sample to be tested in a lab. If you have an older home with rigid metal ducts as shown above it might have the white fabric tape you see in the photo. If your attic or wall insulation is in batt or blanket form whether it s fiberglass cellulose or another material you generally don t have to be concerned about asbestos. Otherwise hire a professional asbestos removal company.

While remodeling the attic of his 1960s home john found piles of brown pebble like insulation. When disturbed tiny abrasive asbestos fibers are easily inhaled which damages lung tissue and can cause cancer. Asbestos can be found in the insulation used in walls attics the materials around plumbing and pipes electrical wiring as well as on heating and air conditioning units. There are other sources of asbestos in attic insulation but this single source significantly outpaces the others the primary source of asbestos attic insulation is from a specific mine in montana operated for 70 years by the libby company according to the environmental protection agency.

If you do not go into your attic handle or disturb the insulation it is likely that you will not be exposed to asbestos fibers from vermiculite insulation. Attic insulation in older homes may contain asbestos that could fall through ceiling cracks. However there are loose fill wall and attic insulation which can contain asbestos. Older buildings and homes may have asbestos within products from hot water piping insulation to furnace insulation even floor tiles.

If you notice that you have insulation that is falling apart in your building have a professional inspect for asbestos. Also you need to consider if any disturbance of the insulation possibly by a contractor doing work in your attic may result in the fibers being deposited into other areas of your house where an exposure might be possible. The types of insulation that were most commonly made with asbestos are loose fill also called blown in insulation. He decided to replace the existing insulation with new fiberglass insulation to save money in the winter months.

One of the places you might find asbestos in a home is the duct system. With many homes from that era still standing it is no surprise to run into asbestos in some capacity. Asbestos insulation is a very common problem that many people have to deal with at some point. In homes built prior to 1975 asbestos is most commonly found as thermal insulation on basement boilers and pipes.