Blown Attic Insulation Asbestos

About 70 of u s.

Blown attic insulation asbestos.

Asbestos insulation is a very common problem that many people have to deal with at some point. It was very versatile affordable and it could be used in tiles and blow it with another material vermiculite. There is one primary source of asbestos attic insulation. In the late 1970s it became evident that asbestos fibers were very dangerous.

It s considered a very natural product and does not contain asbestos. Your home was constructed prior to 1990. That is the loose granular insulation called vermiculite. Although asbestos is currently banned as an insulating material in many countries buildings that were built before 1980 may still contain insulation with asbestos.

There is one type of older insulation that has a significant possibility of being contaminated with asbestos. 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. Asbestos has been linked to a variety of serious health conditions. The types of insulation that were most commonly made with asbestos are loose fill also called blown in insulation.

With asbestos still being used as a very commonly used fire retardant and a very popular insulator right until the end of the 1980 s. Asbestos is actually a natural fiber so if your attic insulation looks like wool there is a slight chance that it will contain asbestos. Asbestos was long considered an ideal material for almost all types of insulation until its cancer causing effects were. 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.

Blown in insulation helped reduced electric bills but also generated a risk for the families who lived in them as asbestos was often used to make the insulation flame retardant. 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. 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. Tremolite is similar to asbestos.

With many homes from that era still standing it is no surprise to run into asbestos in some capacity. Other insulation balsam wool is a shredded wood product treated with borax as a fire retardant. Because zonolite had been contaminated with tremolite it resulted in being a health hazard. Vermiculite attic insulation originated from the libby mine while 30 came from other sources.

Differences between asbestos and cellulose insulation before we review the differences between continue reading how to tell the difference.