Asbestos Dust In Attic

Use caulk or spray foam around seams light fixtures fans and switches as well as plumbing pipes or other openings where insulation dust might filter in.

Asbestos dust in attic.

Asbestos on or in hvac air ducts. Loose fill insulation comes in a variety of materials. Once vermiculite is disturbed millions of asbestos fibers become airborne. Asbestos testing labs usually will ask you to scoop up as much settled dust as possible to gather 1 teaspoon full.

The asbestos found in vermiculite is extremely friable and is the most dangerous type amphibole of asbestos. He decided to replace the existing insulation with new fiberglass insulation to save money in the winter months. While remodeling the attic of his 1960s home john found piles of brown pebble like insulation. 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.

Hire an asbestos contractor to install attic flooring that completely covers and seals off the 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. There is one primary source of asbestos attic insulation. Attic insulation in older homes may contain asbestos that could fall through ceiling cracks.

If you cannot gather that much dust you should use a damp tissue to wipe the dust and enclose the tissue in a zip lock bag. 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. The types of insulation that were most commonly made with asbestos are loose fill also called blown in insulation. In fact it s still used heavily in some parts of the world such as india and china.

The epa asbestos web site contains general information on asbestos sources exposure and health effects what to do if you suspect asbestos training and laws and regulations. Consider this statement from research titled zonolite attic insulation exposure studies where even the suggested method for removal by the manufacturer.