Home Inspection Asbestos

What You Need to Know About Asbestos

What Is Asbestos?
Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring fibrous minerals. It is mined and milled from rock and is thin and strong. It can be found in most countries around the world, but most asbestos comes from the former Soviet Union, Canada, South Africa, and Australia.

How Is Asbestos Used?
It has been estimated that 3,000 different types of commercial products contain asbestos. In homes built prior to 1978, asbestos is most commonly found as thermal insulation on boilers and pipes. It can also be found in many other household materials, which include:

• Vinyl floor tiles (usually 9" x 9" tiles contain asbestos, but all tiles should be tested to be sure)
  
  
• Glue that attaches floor tiles to concrete or wood (also called "mastic")
  
  
• Some forms of linoleum
  
  
• Window caulking or glazing
  
  
• Roofing materials
  
  
• HVAC duct insulation (usually found in corrugated or flat paper form)
  
  
• Siding material
  
  
• Plaster
  
  
• Fiber cement siding (usually 1/8” thick and 8’ x 4’, brittle)
  
  
• Corrugated heavy duty panels

Asbestos appeals to manufacturers and builders for a variety of reasons. Asbestos is heat and chemical resistant, does not corrode, and performs well as an insulator. These characteristics, when combined with its flexibility to be woven, has made asbestos useful in many industrial applications. Few materials used for manufacturing have all of these characteristics, making asbestos a popular choice for use in thermal, chemical, and fire-resistant applications. 

What Are the Risks Associated with Asbestos?
Asbestos fibers can be released into the air when it becomes damaged. If asbestos becomes airborne, inhalation may result.

Asbestos fibers in floor tiles, sidings, laboratory desktops, etc, are tightly bound into the other materials in these products; therefore, asbestos fibers are not easily released. However, if the material is abraded, sanded, or sawed, the material can easily be rendered friable, causing the fibers to become airborne.

Inhaled asbestos fibers become trapped in the lungs, where they cause scarring and inflammation that can eventually lead to substantial health problems. Asbestos is a known carcinogen that has been associated with lung cancer, mesothelioma, other forms of cancer. It can also cause various nonmalignant lung diseases.

Children are particularly susceptible to asbestos-related disease. The normal latency period for an asbestos-related disease in adults can be anywhere from 20 to 50 years after exposure. However, among children, the latency period can be much shorter, striking them with illness very early in life.

How Can I Protect My Health?
Do not sand, cut, or break any asbestos-containing materials (ACM). Even if materials are non-friable, they will release fibers if they are disturbed in this manner. 

If you must work in an area where asbestos dust may be present, wet the area down thoroughly with a garden sprayer (or a regular spray bottle) filled with water and a few drops of dish detergent. The detergent reduces the surface tension of the water and allows it to penetrate any asbestos fibers more readily, thus keeping them from becoming airborne. Dispose of any rags used to clean up ACM dust.

Never use a regular household vacuum on asbestos-containing dust. Even if the vacuum is equipped with a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, you will not be able to decontaminate it properly once you have vacuumed up the asbestos dust. Special vacuums are used on asbestos-containing dust. They are equipped with a HEPA filter, are specifically designed to filter out asbestos fibers, and can be easily decontaminated after use. You must first contact an environmental company that specializes in asbestos removal and abatement before you take any corrective measures.

Do I Have to Remove All Asbestos From My Home?
There are no state or federal laws that specifically require you to remove asbestos in your home just for the sake of getting rid of it.

Floor tiles, roofing, and siding containing asbestos are very strong and do not readily crumble or release asbestos fibers unless they are subjected to strong forces. Therefore, it may not be necessary to remove these materials.

Other ACM such as pipe insulation, boiler lagging, asbestos-containing thermal insulation (e.g., batt or blown-in insulation) can be identified through inspection and analysis by a qualified professional. If asbestos is found in such materials, you should seek the help of a consultant to aid you in determining what should be done to remedy the situation. If you never disturb these materials, you may be able to leave them alone. However, if you know that a needed repair or renovation will disturb the ACM, you may want to start planning with your consultant to abate the asbestos before the renovations begin.

If you suspect or know that there is asbestos in your home, periodically check it for breakage, tears, abrasions, or water damage. If you discover slightly damaged material, limit access to the area and do not touch or disturb it. If the asbestos material is more than slightly damaged, or if you are going to make changes in your home that might disturb it, professional removal is needed.

Asbestos removal is not a do-it-yourself project. Professional removal is required.

Why Do I Need a Professional and How Do I Find a Qualified One?
If asbestos is removed improperly, your home can be seriously contaminated. Professional cleanup of the contamination could be more costly than if the abatement had originally been performed by professionals.
Asbestos fibers can be too small for the human eye to detect. Professional asbestos abatement contractors use specialized cleaning equipment and confinement techniques to remove and contain asbestos materials and fibers.

Asbestos is difficult to control without the proper equipment. Special equipment has been designed for abating asbestos properly. This equipment must be used and cleaned in a proper manner to ensure that little or no exposure to asbestos fibers occurs during or after abatement.
Once complete, air samples should be taken to ensure that there are no asbestos fibers remaining.

NJ requires all contractors who abate ACM to have a NJ Department of Labor and Workplace Development (DOLWD) license. In addition, all of the contractor's employees who conduct the abatement must possess a Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) worker or supervisor permit. 

To be sure you are hiring a contractor who will do a safe and satisfactory job, you may want to do the following:

• Call the NJ DOLWD at 609-633-2158 to ensure that the contractor is licensed and reputable.
  
  
• Ask the contractor about his/her abatement history and for references from similar projects.
  
  
• Obtain a detailed estimate of the exact services to be provided, including monitoring, design, replacement, damages, etc.
• Ask about the contractor’s liability insurance, including the type, what it covers, and the amount.
  
  
• Obtain four estimates—they can vary significantly. Make sure all estimates are based on the same job requirements and specifications.
  
  
• Talk to each contractor to learn exactly what they will do for you. Check your comfort level with each contractor and then hire one based upon your overall evaluation of services, not just cost.
  
  
• Consider hiring a monitoring firm that has no financial relationship with the abatement contractor to oversee the removal. Projects with a monitoring firm are generally done better, but can be more costly.
  
  
• Educate yourself regarding what occurs during an asbestos abatement so you know what to expect and can understand what must be done.

Want to Know More?

For more information about asbestos and related diseases from the National Cancer Institute: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/asbestos

 For more information on siding that contains asbestos:
www.maacenter.org/asbestos/products/siding.php

For more information on pipe insulation that contains asbestos:
www.maacenter.org/asbestos/workplace/pipefitters.php

For more information on floor and ceiling tiles that contain asbestos:
www.maacenter.org/asbestos/products/tiles.php