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.

Typically it is recommended to simply leave it as is without disturbing it. Attic insulation in older homes may contain asbestos that could fall through ceiling cracks. 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. 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.

Older buildings and homes may have asbestos within products from hot water piping insulation to furnace insulation even floor tiles. Loose fill insulation comes in a variety of materials. The types of insulation that were most commonly made with asbestos are loose fill also called blown in insulation. With many homes from that era still standing it is no surprise to run into asbestos in some capacity.

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. If you notice that you have insulation that is falling apart in your building have a professional inspect for asbestos. 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. The insulation was sold under the brand name zonolite.

Unfortunately it can also be found in a myriad of other household materials including. Asbestos is actually a natural fiber so if your attic insulation looks like wool there is a slight chance that it will contain asbestos. He decided to replace the existing insulation with new fiberglass insulation to save money in the winter months. When disturbed tiny abrasive asbestos fibers are easily inhaled which damages lung tissue and can cause cancer.

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. 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. 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. There is one primary source of asbestos attic insulation.

One of the places you might find asbestos in a home is the duct system. Otherwise hire a professional asbestos removal company. While remodeling the attic of his 1960s home john found piles of brown pebble like insulation. However there are loose fill wall and attic insulation which can contain asbestos.