Asbestos In Home Attic Insulation

In homes built prior to 1975 asbestos is most commonly found as thermal insulation on basement boilers and pipes.

Asbestos in home attic 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. Asbestos can be found in the insulation used in walls attics the materials around plumbing and pipes electrical wiring as well as on heating and air conditioning units. 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. Typically it is recommended to simply leave it as is without disturbing it.

Asbestos is actually a natural fiber so if your attic insulation looks like wool there is a slight chance that it will contain asbestos. 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. The types of insulation that were most commonly made with asbestos are loose fill also called blown in insulation.

If you notice that you have insulation that is falling apart in your building have a professional inspect for asbestos. Unfortunately it can also be found in a myriad of other household materials including. One of the places you might find asbestos in a home is the duct system. However there are loose fill wall and attic insulation which can contain asbestos.

He decided to replace the existing insulation with new fiberglass insulation to save money in the winter months. Asbestos insulation is a very common problem that many people have to deal with at some point. Loose fill insulation comes in a variety of materials. 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.

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. While remodeling the attic of his 1960s home john found piles of brown pebble like insulation. There is one primary source of asbestos attic insulation. When disturbed tiny abrasive asbestos fibers are easily inhaled which damages lung tissue and can cause cancer.

The insulation was sold under the brand name zonolite. 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. Otherwise hire a professional asbestos removal company. 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.