Is It Harmful To Have Adbestos In My Attic

Check with your provincial and territorial workplace safety authorities to find out the qualifications or certifications needed in your area.

Is it harmful to have adbestos in my attic.

Asbestos occurs in six mineral types and all have fibers that are harmful to lung tissue getting embedded in lung tissue and causing inflammation scarring and eventually tumors. We have heating and air conditioning systems to fix these problems but the more opportunities warm air has to flow out of or into the house the harder those systems have to work. So to be safe treat all vermiculite insulation as if it contains 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.

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. If your home was built before 1990 and you have vermiculite insulation or if your house was built prior to 1970 it s likely that you have some form of asbestos in your attic or elsewhere. Vermiculite is a mineral that was used for insulation. This increases the risk to your health and your family s health.

If you have vermiculite based insulation in your attic it may contain asbestos. Asbestos is actually a natural fiber so if your attic insulation looks like wool there is a slight chance that it will contain asbestos. Up to 85 percent of all vermiculite insulation in the u s. If your home was built before 1990 you might have vermiculite insulation in your walls or attic.

Vermiculite insulation granules assume asbestos contamination. A properly insulated home will save money on energy costs by resisting the flow of heat and making your heating and air. Odds are reduced but not completely eliminated if your home was built or renovated after 1990. The types of insulation that were most commonly made with asbestos are loose fill also called blown in insulation.

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. 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. You may have this type of insulation in your attic if your home was built or remodeled prior to 1990. The photo below from the us geological survey shows the fibers of the chrysotile type which makes up about 90 of all the commercially available asbestos.

Loose fill insulation comes in a variety of materials. If your insulation contains particles that have a silver gold or gray brown color it may contain asbestos. Came from a mine in libby montana sold under the name zonolite. Used for fireproofing and insulation asbestos was a cheap and effective material that became an industry standard for buildings across the country.

There s no firm cut off date for asbestos contaminated insulation.