Asbestos thrives with the old saying, “out of sight, out of mind.” While asbestos-containing material (ACM) can exist in many places and substances in homes and businesses alike, the attic is a common one, especially unfinished ones in older homes. From concerns about air quality and asbestos exposure to risks of renovation, it’s important to understand what the most common attic ACMs are and why they were put there in the first place. [Read more…] about Asbestos in the Attic: Insulation, Roofing Materials, and More
Asbestos Insulation
Asbestos Felt: Used in Roofing, Flooring, and More
In this blog, we’ve gone over many of the asbestos construction materials that can exist in your home or at work. We’re looking at asbestos felt, a material used often in home construction to provide additional fireproofing to any material it backed. Prominent in both the construction of both roofing and flooring, asbestos felt is particularly dangerous as it is damaged or destroyed during new roofing or flooring projects, causing the friable material to become airborne where it is most dangerous. Let’s learn more. [Read more…] about Asbestos Felt: Used in Roofing, Flooring, and More
Identifying Asbestos Textiles and Asbestos Fabrics
If you’ve read our blogs on asbestos before, you’ve probably seen us refer to it by its moniker: the miracle mineral. While this phrase was mostly good marketing for a bad product, asbestos did have some amazing qualities. In our blog, Is Asbestos Man-Made or Naturally Occurring?, we went over the particular nature of asbestos, namely its long silica fibers. In the heyday of asbestos, these fibers were spun just like cotton to produce asbestos thread or used to strengthen cotton or other textiles. This legacy has produced hazardous building materials, textiles, and clothing that need to be identified and disposed of. [Read more…] about Identifying Asbestos Textiles and Asbestos Fabrics
Asbestos in Your House: A Breakdown Floor by Floor
Asbestos, the so-called “miracle mineral” for much of the 20th century, was not a material used by itself. Generally a fairly brittle silicate, asbestos was instead added to other materials due to three major properties: its high heat resistance for fire-proofing, it’s insulative properties, and its sound-deadening effects. These, combined with a low cost, means that asbestos was used in a lot of construction materials. How many? Let’s take a look at common uses throughout the home, from the basement to the attic of a home. [Read more…] about Asbestos in Your House: A Breakdown Floor by Floor
Asbestos Electrical Insulation: Danger in the Walls
Asbestos was hailed as a “miracle mineral” due to its fire retardant and insulative properties – good marketing helped as well. In the 1930s through 1960s when other insulators like rubber or ceramics were too costly to use, asbestos sometimes took its place in electric insulation, most notably in electrical wire insulation. While not as prevalent as the other uses of asbestos in building construction, asbestos electrical insulation can be hard to find and identify. [Read more…] about Asbestos Electrical Insulation: Danger in the Walls
Asbestos in Chimneys, Fireplaces and Ornamental Logs
As we’ve talked about in previous blogs, asbestos regulation and banning in the US is a mess of various federal and state laws. However, certain asbestos products were called out by name to be banned by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). In a blast from the past, you can read this 1977 CPSC press release about “artificial fireplace emberizing materials” containing asbestos suggested as being hazardous and should be removed from chimneys. Today we’ll talk about these ornamental logs, embers, and ash, as well as other parts of the fireplace and chimney that could contain asbestos. [Read more…] about Asbestos in Chimneys, Fireplaces and Ornamental Logs
