Asbestos In Attic Safe

Asbestos only becomes a problem if it becomes airborne and gets into your lungs at a high enough dose.

Asbestos in attic safe.

These fibers consist of millions of microscopic fibrils. While remodeling the attic of his 1960s home john found piles of brown pebble like insulation. Asbestos was incorporated in the insulation of different types including attic insulation. Once vermiculite is disturbed millions of asbestos fibers become airborne.

Asbestos causes cancer and other diseases. 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. That s good news because most zonolite a type of vermiculite insulation falls into that category. Asbestos fibers must be airborne to cause a health risk through inhalation so the first step is not to disturb the material which would release more fibers into the air.

In older homes specifically asbestos may be found in many different materials from pipe insulation to flooring adhesive to roof shingles. He decided to replace the existing insulation with new fiberglass insulation to save money in the winter months. These are thin visible fibers. Asbestos is dangerous because it contains what is known as fibrous crystals.

One of the most common materials containing asbestos fibers is attic and wall insulation. Consider this statement from research titled zonolite attic insulation exposure studies where even the suggested method for removal by the manufacturer grace created a very unsafe condition. Due to the harshness of asbestos it is very important that it does not get out of the attic to infiltrate the rest of the home. Place the plastic sheeting over the walls by taping them down as well.

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 best way to do this other than wetting the asbestos is covering the attic in plastic. If you re concerned about a particular material in your home you can call an asbestos inspection company to come in and have the material tested. Asbestos isn t like radioactivity which can be a hazard because it constantly emits radiation.

There is no known safe level of asbestos exposure. The epa says that vermiculite insulation which is the pebbly stuff found in attics of many older homes is only risky if it contains more than one percent asbestos. The asbestos found in vermiculite is extremely friable and is the most dangerous type amphibole of asbestos. Attic insulation in older homes may contain asbestos that could fall through ceiling cracks.