Vermiculite Insulation Asbestos, Vermiculite And Asbestos Don T Take Any Chances With Your Health

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

Richard mayer john mayer. Where does the asbestos come from and why is it a health concern. The vast majority of tests come back having less than 1 percent asbestos. Vermiculite insulation is way worse than i previously thought.

Other common uses are as thermal and sound insulation construction material insulation material and for lightweight absorbent packaging material. 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. Once the asbestos was discovered the mine closed in 1990.

Vermiculite was a common attic insulation product sold from the late 1920s to the early 1990s. Dig through the insulation layer and scoop a sample from the floor. 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.

Panded vermiculite make it useful in lawn and garden agricultural and horticultural products. Periodic tests have been carried out on other vermiculite mines since with no signs of asbestos. Unfortunately almost all vermiculite insulation contains asbestos and is unsafe when disturbed.

It is made from a natural mineral material that is mined from the earth. That means no asbestos abatement contractors get involved and removal of the vermiculite insulation is done with essentially a giant vacuum. Ive known that vermiculite insulation can contain asbestos and my advice to homeowners has always been to assume it contains asbestos and leave it alone which is also the advice of the epaif the insulation needs to be removed or disturbed my advice has previously been to recommend first having it tested for asbestos.

The recent innovation should provide a time saving technique for commercial and home inspectors. If you need to test a construction material other than a vermiculite please visit a different page. However some vermiculite insulation contained asbestos fibres which can cause problems if inhaled.

It could be purchased locally and could be installed by contractor or homeowner. Vermiculite itself has not been shown to be a health problem. Remember asbestos is much heavier than the vermiculite and it slowly sinks close to the bottom of the insulation layer.

Vermiculite insulation has a pebble like appearance and typically is a grayish brown or silvery gold color. Scientists with the united states geology survey usgs have created a hand held spectrometer to determine if vermiculite insulation contains deadly amphibole asbestos. In minnesota where i live an insulation contractors first step is having the insulation tested for asbestos.