Asbestos In Attic Safe

But just because your insulation is old doesn t mean it is dangerous.

Asbestos in attic safe.

These fibers consist of millions of microscopic fibrils. Place the plastic sheeting over the walls by taping them down as well. He decided to replace the existing insulation with new fiberglass insulation to save money in the winter months. One of the most common materials containing asbestos fibers is attic and wall insulation.

These are thin visible fibers. Once vermiculite is disturbed millions of asbestos fibers become airborne. Attic insulation in older homes may contain asbestos that could fall through ceiling cracks. Plastic sheeting is very inexpensive but will prevent the asbestos fibers from contaminating the air.

Place the plastic on the floor to cover it and make sure you tape it down. Asbestos was incorporated in the insulation of different types including attic insulation. There is no known safe level of asbestos exposure. 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.

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. 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. The best way to do this other than wetting the asbestos is covering the attic in plastic. Asbestos is dangerous because it contains what is known as fibrous crystals.

While remodeling the attic of his 1960s home john found piles of brown pebble like insulation. The asbestos found in vermiculite is extremely friable and is the most dangerous type amphibole of asbestos. That s good news because most zonolite a type of vermiculite insulation falls into that category. 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.

Asbestos isn t like radioactivity which can be a hazard because it constantly emits radiation. 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. In older homes specifically asbestos may be found in many different materials from pipe insulation to flooring adhesive to roof shingles. 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.