Is There Asbestos In Attic 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.

Is there asbestos in attic insulation. You may also find thousands of loose particles within walls or under attic flooring. 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. How to identify dangerous asbestos 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 insulation was sold under the brand name zonolite. In those rare cases the asbestos containing materials used for insulation were manufactured for some other purpose. Loose fill insulation comes in a variety of materials. The types of insulation that were most commonly made with asbestos are loose fill also called blown in insulation.

Other than vermiculite it s actually quite rare to find thermal insulation in residential attics that contains asbestos. If you notice that you have insulation that is falling apart in your building have a professional inspect for asbestos. There is one primary source of asbestos attic insulation. 5 things you need to know about vermiculite family handyman.

This type of insulation was usually used on steam heating pipes between 1910 and 1980. 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. If you re insulation is the batt style insulation as the loose fill insulation has the higher risk as it s loosely poured into wall or joist cavities. Asbestos insulation can also look like a cardboard covering.

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. One of the most notorious insulation products that caused asbestos exposure is zonolite insulation which was manufactured by w r. However there are loose fill wall and attic insulation which can contain asbestos. 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.