Asbestos Insulation In My Attic

Your home was constructed prior to 1990.

Asbestos insulation in my attic.

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. About 70 of u s. With many homes from that era still standing it is no surprise to run into asbestos in some capacity. 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.

Inspect for asbestos insulation if you plan to remodel your home. 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. Because zonolite had been contaminated with tremolite it resulted in being a health hazard. So to be safe treat all vermiculite insulation as if it contains 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. The zonolite attic insulation trust was established in 2014 to help homeowners with the cost of removing zonolite attic insulation from their homes. There s no firm cut off date for asbestos contaminated insulation. Asbestos insulation was the biggest source of asbestos exposure for workers throughout the 20th century and it remains a toxic hazard in many homes and businesses to this day.

Vermiculite attic insulation originated from the libby mine while 30 came from other sources. Vermiculite is utilized for attic insulation as well as other purposes. 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. Asbestos insulation is a very common problem that many people have to deal with at some point.

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. Testing is expensive and inaccurate and the probability of asbestos contamination is so great that the epa recommends erring on the side of caution rather than testing for asbestos. The insulation was sold under the brand name zonolite. Vermiculite in and of itself is not.

Asbestos was long considered an ideal material for almost all types of insulation until its cancer causing effects were. Asbestos is actually a natural fiber so if your attic insulation looks like wool there is a slight chance that it will contain asbestos. So if you have vermiculite insulation look into this. Even if your insulation contains asbestos if it isn t disturbed the asbestos won t be present in the air to cause any harm.

Loose fill insulation could contain asbestos if. Tremolite is similar to asbestos. If the building materials in your home or business won t be disturbed you don t need to worry about looking for asbestos. Loose fill insulation comes in a variety of materials.