Unknown Asbestos Risks Your Home Could Have

Although homeowners often do not realize it, many older houses are full of asbestos exposure risks.

Until the 1980s, manufacturers frequently used the flexible fibers to insulate or reinforce construction materials. Many homes still contain these original materials, which relied on the fibers for reinforcement or insulating properties.

Asbestos appeared in more than 5,000 different products. Some of these products came from leading manufacturers, such as General Electric and Kelly Moore Paint Co.

Asbestos ceiling tiles



Common asbestos-containing home products included:

·         Shingles

·         Tiles

·         Adhesives

·         Textured coatings   

·         Paint

·         Cement

·         Mastic

·         Insulation

The amount of asbestos contained within these products varies. Some products are made up of only 1 or 2 percent asbestos, while certain cement products contained as much as 50 percent asbestos.  However, any amount of asbestos can pose a health risk if the fibers become friable.

Contact a Home Inspector

In general, homeowners cannot visually identify asbestos within their home. They may be able to see a few loose asbestos strands in certain chipped, cracked or crumbling products, but it is much more common for the fibers to remain fully contained within the material. This actually benefits the homeowner because the asbestos is not a health hazard when it is completely contained within the product. However, it also means that homeowners will need to hire a home inspection company or an asbestos abatement professional to test their residence for asbestos.

An accredited inspection company can take samples of suspicious materials and send them to a laboratory for further testing. If the laboratory tests confirm the presence of asbestos, homeowners should not perform any renovations on the item. If they need to remodel or demolish the part of the home that contains asbestos, they should contact a licensed abatement company to come remove the product from the premesis.  This ensures total safety for all of the residents of the home.

Author bio: Faith Franz researches and writes about health-related issues for The Mesothelioma Center. One of her focuses is living with cancer.

Beware of attic insulation that may be harmful

Keeping your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer requires attic insulation.  That is a general fact. But did you know that some attic insulation can be harmful to your health, especially if you have an older home, particularly in the northern parts of the country.  Some attics may be filled with Zonolite Attic Insulation.  I was asked by Kristen Davis who is working with Mesothelioma Symptoms to share their link on our company website as a general resource. It is also beneficial to help get the word out about this potentially harmful insulation, which contained asbestos, which can be deadly.

So what is Zonolite? Zonolite is a brand of vermiculite insulation which was sold by W.R. Grace as attic insulation for millions of homes from 1963 through 1984, and is known to contain asbestos.  Zonolites vermiculite was taken from a mine in Libby Montana,which was found to contain high levels of asbestos, and closed in 1990. The dangers of asbestos is highly publicized, and a real health hazard.

Homeowners can easily identify vermiculite attic insulation. Vermiculite is a loose pebble like substance that is lightweight.  The color is most likely gray, as the color has changed over the years from the original golden or light brown.

What should you do if you have this type of insulation? Generally, the best advise is to leave it alone and not disturb it.  If the asbestos fibers are not released into the surrounding air, there is a minimal risk to exposure and the potential hazards such as lung cancer and mesothelioma. However, if your someone that regularly is in the attic, moving around boxes and stored items, you should be cautious, and not disturb the insulation.  Common dust masks will not prevent you from breathing asbestos fibers.  If you choose to replace the Zonolite insulation, professional help is required, and can be expensive.

There is a lot of news about Zonolite out there.  If you want more, you can see some here.  You can also visit the Mesothelioma site for additional information and resources.

And of course, if you are buying or selling an older home, make sure to have a qualified home inspector check the attic and determine the type of insulation in there.