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Community Corner

Asbestos: Risks, Realities and Solutions

Asbestos is widely recognized as a household health risk. Yet, asbestos is frequently misunderstood. Here's where to look for asbestos and how to keep your indoor air clean and your family safe.

I spend a fair amount of each working day crawling around the areas of people’s homes that they rarely see, whether it's to look at the building structure, inspect the home for energy efficiency or to find places that water or pests enter. 

Since many of the homes on the Peninsula are older housing stock, it is not uncommon for me to find materials that contain asbestos.

Asbestos is a naturally-occurring fibrous mineral found in certain rock formations. Unless disturbed and made airborne, either by natural weathering or human disturbance, naturally-occurring asbestos does not pose a health risk.

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However, building materials containing asbestos have been identified by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Organization) as potentially hazardous to your health, particularly when found in older homes and buildings. I’m frequently asked by homeowners if they have asbestos in their home and how they can handle it.

Concerns about asbestos are certainly valid. The EPA has identified asbestos as one of the top ten contributors to indoor air pollution. Once airborne, asbestos can enter your lungs and poses risks of lung diseases like asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. Asbestosis is gradual and uncurable; asbestos fibers are like little fishhooks that, when inhaled, lodge themselves in your lung tissues and create scarring. Lung cancer and mesothelioma are asbestos-related cancers that are equally dangerous.

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If you are planning a remodel or a do-it-yourself project at home, it’s a good idea to be aware of the most likely places asbestos can be found in your home and what to do if you suspect you have it. The most common places I’ve encountered asbestos in homes are:

  • Older cement roofing and siding shingles
  • Insulation
  • Vermiculite attic insulation (also found in walls, occasionally)
  • Textured ceilings (also referred to as “popcorn” ceilings)
  • Older vinyl floor tiles or sheet vinyl
  • Wrapping around hot water piping, furnace ducting, and flue pipes
  • Gaskets, putties, and fillers around fireplaces, stoves, and heaters

Every once in a while, I find asbestos in other areas, but knowing the more common signs of asbestos has helped me steer clear of the danger it represents.

In many cases, the presence of asbestos does not require removal of the material. Materials containing asbestos can be encapsulated or maintained to lessen the exposure risk, often with excellent results.

If you find materials in your home that you suspect contain asbestos, you should take precautions to leave it and the area around it undisturbed, particularly if it is worn or damaged. In addition, be sure to:

  1. Avoid damaging materials that may contain asbestos
  2. Don’t sweep, dust or vacuum asbestos materials on or around the suspected area
  3. Do not cut, sand or drill into asbestos materials
  4. Do not use abrasives on asbestos flooring
  5. Do not track material that contains asbestos through your home. Keep dust from asbestos materials off your clothing and contained in one area.
  6. Consult with a qualified asbestos contractor about the asbestos in your home and how best to remedy the problem
  7. Do not attempt to remove the material yourself. You could easily spread the effects of the asbestos throughout your home.

When I audit the indoor air quality of a home, asbestos is one of the key contaminants that I look for. While asbestos poses a risk to the quality of the air inside your home and the health of your family, it is one of the easier contaminants to contain. In many cases, the remedies are inexpensive, but best left to a professional. The good news is that today most residential building materials are devoid of asbestos.

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