Is There Asbestos In Attic Insulation

If you notice that you have insulation that is falling apart in your building have a professional inspect for asbestos.

Is there asbestos in attic insulation.

Attic insulation may contain asbestos too and just like the other asbestos containing materials and products it entails a great risk of developing severe diseases such as mesothelioma or lung cancer especially if it is in poor condition. The types of insulation that were most commonly made with asbestos are loose fill also called blown in insulation. 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.

Step 4 positive identification of asbestos can only be obtained using polarizing light microscopy which is only available from a laboratory certified by the environmental protection agency. 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 agency. 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. The insulation was sold under the brand name zonolite.

Zonolite is a type of loose fill insulation made of heat expanded vermiculite and it was installed as attic insulation in millions of american homes. Vermiculite and hvac installations a dangerous asbestos insulation attic contain vermiculite insulation pressreader the family handyman 2019 attic insulation calgary beyond. Asbestos insulation can also look like a cardboard covering. You may also find thousands of loose particles within walls or under attic flooring.

There is one primary source of asbestos attic insulation. 5 things you need to know about vermiculite family handyman. However there are loose fill wall and attic insulation which can contain asbestos. Other than vermiculite it s actually quite rare to find thermal insulation in residential attics that contains asbestos.

Grace and company in the 1960s and 1970s. This type of insulation was usually used on steam heating pipes between 1910 and 1980. How to identify dangerous asbestos insulation. Asbestos is actually a natural fiber so if your attic insulation looks like wool there is a slight chance that it will contain asbestos.

In those rare cases the asbestos containing materials used for insulation were manufactured for some other purpose.