Asbestos in Older Homes, Where It Hides and What Not to Touch

Why Asbestos Is a Concern

Asbestos is a natural mineral fiber that was added to hundreds of building products because it resists heat and adds strength. When asbestos containing material is damaged, it releases fibers too small to see that can float in the air for hours and settle into dust.

Breathing those fibers can cause asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. These diseases usually appear 10 to 40 years or more after exposure, which is why nobody feels anything at the time. Smoking greatly increases the lung cancer risk for people exposed to asbestos. Health agencies do not identify any safe level of exposure.

The key idea is that asbestos is mainly a hazard when it is disturbed. A vinyl floor tile or a wrapped pipe that is intact, sealed and left alone is not releasing much, if anything. The danger comes when someone sands, cuts, drills, scrapes or tears it, or when it gets water damaged and starts to crumble.

Material that crumbles easily in your hand is called friable. Friable material, like old pipe wrap or spray-on insulation, releases fibers much more easily than firm material like floor tile or cement siding.

Where Asbestos Hides

Homes built before about 1980 are the most likely to contain asbestos, but some products kept it later. These are the most common places to look.

For vermiculite, the EPA’s advice is to assume it may contain asbestos and leave it undisturbed. Do not store items in that attic, and keep children from playing there. Look at suspect materials for damage like cracking, crumbling, water stains or torn wrap, and write down what you find.

Testing Is the Only Way to Know

No one can confirm asbestos by looking at it, not even an experienced inspector. The inspector’s job is to find suspect material and take samples. A laboratory confirms whether asbestos is present, usually using a method called polarized light microscopy.

• Hire an accredited asbestos inspector. Licensing rules vary by state and city, so ask what license or certification they hold for your area.
• The lab should be accredited through the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program, known as NVLAP, which is the federal program for asbestos labs.
• Results usually come back in a few days and list the type and percentage of asbestos in each sample.
• Under federal rules, material with more than 1 percent asbestos is treated as asbestos containing. Some states set stricter lines.

Taking a sample releases some fibers, which is one reason the EPA recommends a trained professional do it. Home test kits exist, but a poorly taken sample can contaminate a room and still give you an unreliable answer. It is also best to hire an inspector who is not the same company that would do the removal, so nobody has a reason to find more than is there.

Leave It, Repair It or Remove It

Finding asbestos does not always mean it has to come out. There are three basic choices.

• Leave it alone. Intact material in an area you are not remodeling is often safest left in place. Check it once in a while for damage.
• Repair it. A trained contractor can encapsulate it, which means sealing it with a coating that binds the fibers, or enclose it, which means covering it with a new layer like drywall or new flooring. Repair is often cheaper than removal. The material is still there, so future owners and contractors need to know.
• Remove it. Removal makes sense before a remodel, demolition or addition that would disturb the material, or when it is badly damaged. It is the most expensive option and, if done poorly, the most hazardous.

Proper abatement uses plastic containment, negative air pressure with HEPA filtered machines, wet removal methods, sealed disposal bags and a final cleaning. In many areas, an air clearance test after removal confirms the space is safe before the containment comes down. Ask for it in writing.

What Not to Do

Most household asbestos exposure comes from well-meaning projects. These are the actions that release the most fibers.

• Sanding, grinding or scraping old floor tile, mastic, popcorn ceilings or textured walls.
• Drilling holes for wiring, shelves or anchors into suspect material.
• Sawing or snapping cement siding or shingles.
• Tearing off old pipe or duct wrap to replace a furnace or boiler.
• Using a power stripper or grinder on old floor adhesive.
• Sweeping, dusting or using a household vacuum on debris. Regular vacuums pass fibers right through the filter and spread them.
• Moving or disturbing vermiculite in an attic to add lights or storage.

Warn anyone who works on your home, such as plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians and cable installers, about suspect materials before they start. Tell them where it is and ask them to work around it until it has been tested.

If You Already Disturbed Something

It happens. Someone drills a hole, breaks a tile or pulls on old pipe wrap before anyone thought about asbestos. Stay calm. A single short exposure carries a much lower risk than repeated exposure, but you should stop and limit the spread right away.

1. Stop work and have everyone leave the room.
2. Turn off the heating and cooling system so it does not pull dust through the ducts.
3. Close the door and, if you can, tape plastic over the doorway.
4. Do not sweep or vacuum the debris.
5. Take off dusty clothing at the doorway, bag it and wash it separately. Shower when you can.
6. Call an asbestos professional to test the material and clean up the area if needed.

If testing comes back negative, you can clean up normally. If it comes back positive, the professional will clean the area with HEPA equipment and wet wiping.

Step by Step

1. Check the Age of the Home

   Find the year your home was built from your deed, tax record or inspection report. Homes built before about 1980 deserve a careful look before any remodel.

2. Walk Through and Note Suspect Materials

   Look in the attic, basement, boiler room and around ducts, floors, ceilings and siding. Write down and photograph anything on the common list without touching it.

3. Judge the Condition

   Note any crumbling, cracking, water damage or torn wrap. Intact material that will not be disturbed can often stay while you plan.

4. Hire an Accredited Inspector

   Ask for someone licensed or accredited for your area who uses an NVLAP accredited lab. Choose one who does not also do removal.

5. Read the Lab Report

   The report lists each sample, whether asbestos was found, the type and the percentage. Ask the inspector to explain any result you do not understand.

6. Decide on a Plan

   Choose to leave, repair or remove based on the condition and your remodel plans. Get written estimates from licensed abatement contractors.

7. Require Clearance Testing

   Ask for air clearance testing after removal and a copy of the waste disposal records. Keep the lab report and clearance results with your home records.

Mistakes That Make It Worse

• Assuming a material is safe because it looks modern or because a friend said it was fine. Only a lab can tell.
• Sanding or scraping popcorn ceilings or floor adhesive to see what is under them.
• Hiring the same company to test and to remove, which creates a conflict of interest.
• Letting an HVAC or plumbing crew tear out old wrap during a routine replacement without testing first.
• Throwing debris from suspect material in the regular trash. Asbestos waste has disposal rules almost everywhere.

Where You Live Matters