Vermiculite Attic Insulation Asbestos, How To Know What Insulation Is Behind Your Walls This Old House

Unfortunately almost all vermiculite insulation contains asbestos and is unsafe when disturbed.

Kessler williams law firm. This article is adapted from structure techs blog post on april 26 2016 by rueben saltzman. The vermiculite from libby is part of the longest man made environmental disaster in american history. Vermiculite loose fill insulation is one of the most common household materials that contains asbestos.

I found this asbestos insulation in my attic as i was doing a kitch. Vermiculite itself has not been shown to be a health problem. Am i at risk.

Testing is expensive and inaccurate and the probability of asbestos contamination is so great that the epa recommends erring on the side of caution rather than testing for asbestos. Theres no firm cut off date for asbestos contaminated insulation. It was mined there for more than 50 years ending in 1990.

Vermiculite was a common attic insulation product sold from the late 1920s to the early 1990s. Vermiculite asbestos attic insulation updated information. This is a quick video that i made of some vermiculite insulation that contained asbestos.

As long as this kind of vermiculite based insulation remains undisturbed behind intact walls or in attic spaces and does not become airborne it should not be a concern. The threat of vermiculite insulation may actually be worse than previously thought. It is made from a natural mineral material that is mined from the earth.

Vermiculite insulation granules assume asbestos contamination. Concerns about asbestos contaminated vermiculite insulation a mine near libby montana was the source of over 70 percent of all vermiculite sold in the united states from 1919 to 1990. Here is the link to the original article.

Vermiculite insulation has a pebble like appearance and typically is a grayish brown or silvery gold color. However some vermiculite insulation contained asbestos fibres which can cause problems if inhaled. Should i take it out.

The epa says that vermiculite insulation which is the pebbly stuff found in attics of many older homes is only risky if it contains more than one percent asbestos. Vermiculite insulation has been known to contain asbestos. If you have vermiculite insulation in your home you should assume this material may be contaminated with asbestos and be aware of steps you can take to protect yourself and your family from exposure to asbestos.

It could be purchased locally and could be installed by contractor or homeowner. Thats good news because most zonolite a type of vermiculite insulation falls into that category. So to be safe treat all vermiculite insulation as if it contains asbestos.

There was also a deposit of asbestos at that mine so the vermiculite from libby was contaminated with asbestos.