Asbestos Attic Insulation Identify

How to identify asbestos insulation.

Asbestos attic insulation identify.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral composed of thin needle like fibers that was once used as a popular building and insulating material. So how do you identify if your attic insulation contains asbestos. To ensure our content is always up to date with current information best practices and professional advice articles are routinely reviewed by industry experts with years of hands on experience. Identifying asbestos attic insulation written by gabriella buonassisi on oct 02 2010.

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. Vermiculite attic insulation is the main source of concern with asbestos dangers although asbestos is not in every brand. Loose fill insulation comes in a variety of materials. Asbestos insulation can also look like a cardboard covering.

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. The types of insulation that were most commonly made with asbestos are loose fill also called blown in insulation. With many homes from that era still standing it is no surprise to run into asbestos in some capacity. Vermiculite insulation alone is not.

Exposure to asbestos can cause cancer and diseases like. Several years ago asbestos was commonly used in everything from shingles to floor tiles and asbestos insulation was used in many homes that were built in the 1950s and 1960s.