How To Tell If Asbestos In Attic

If you re insulation is the batt style insulation as the loose fill insulation has the higher risk as it s loosely poured into wall or joist cavities.

How to tell if asbestos in attic.

Even still asbestos was phased out in the 1980s so some buildings built during that time could have still used asbestos materials. There is one primary source of asbestos attic insulation. Asbestos is actually a natural fiber so if your attic insulation looks like wool there is a slight chance that it will contain asbestos. If you re unsure if your insulation contains asbestos play it safe and contact a professional to inspect it.

With asbestos still being used as a very commonly used fire retardant and a very popular insulator right until the end of the 1980 s. However there are loose fill wall and attic insulation which can contain asbestos. Loose fill insulation 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. There isn t necessarily a surefire way to tell if your insulation has asbestos unless it s labeled or you have an expert take a look.

Asbestos was a popular material for most of the twentieth century mainly because of its ability to insulate and act as a fire retardant. It was very versatile affordable and it could be used in tiles and blow it with another material vermiculite. It was used in construction materials including roofing materials asphalt shingles roofing felt adhesives putty caulking and patching materials. In fact it s still used heavily in some parts of the world such as india and china.

Differences between asbestos and cellulose insulation before we review the differences between continue reading how to tell the difference. The date of the building or material can also tell you a lot about asbestos risk. There are many different kinds of wool like insulation that are man made and do not have asbestos but if your attic insulation looks like wool than it is best to be safe and have it tested by a professional. Used for fireproofing and insulation asbestos was a cheap and effective material that became an industry standard for buildings across the country.

Look in your attic for loose fill asbestos. A quick visual inspection can tell you whether or not you should get your insulation tested for asbestos. There are other sources of asbestos in attic insulation but this single source significantly outpaces the others the primary source of asbestos attic insulation is from a specific mine in montana operated for 70 years by the libby company according to the environmental protection. Asbestos insulation was widely used as an insulation material in most residential commercial and public buildings constructed between 1920 and 1986.