Ask an Expert: Asbestos

Ask an Expert is an occasional feature where we pose a question submitted by a reader to our Healthy Home Director Carl Grimes and Healthy Building Scientist Joe Medosch.

Reader Question: How can I tell if there is asbestos in my home and how concerned should I be? What can I do if it needs to be removed?

The presence of asbestos is not obvious because it is not used as a material by itself like wood, metal, or lead-based paint. Asbestos is almost always part of another material. Which is why it is correctly referred to as “asbestos-containing material” (ACM). According to the EPA, typical asbestos-containing materials in houses include:

Highest Risk Installations for Asbestos Exposure

However, not all asbestos installations have the same risk. Houses built before 1960 are at highest risk for presence of asbestos, because it is likely to have been used in multiple places throughout the home. The highest risk for exposure is when the material is friable, meaning the fibers are loose, or otherwise damaged or degraded.

Although asbestos is limited in the US, asbestos-containing materials are imported from countries where it is still legal. This creates the potential for risk even in new/newer houses.

When are you at risk?

The health risk from asbestos-containing material is from inhaling the asbestos fibers when they’ve been disturbed and released into the air. According to the EPA, Asbestos fibers may be released into the air by the disturbance of asbestos-containing material during:

Health Effects of Asbestos Exposure

The known health effects of asbestos exposure are lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. Asbestos-related conditions are thought to develop over years, not days or months, so the risk from short-term exposure is lower than those for long-term exposure, but minimizing all asbestos exposure is recommended. Additional health effects information is available from the CDC here.

Asbestos Regulations

EPA is the governing body regulating testing and removal of asbestos-containing materials. See here for details. However, some states have more stringent requirements that must also be followed. Contact your State Department for relevant requirements. A complete list of contacts for each state can be found here. Failure of contractors to fully comply with inspection and remediation regulations can result in severe penalties.

Inspection and Testing

The only way to know for sure if you have asbestos-containing material in your home is to send small samples of suspect materials to a lab for analysis.

If you decide to do the testing yourself, contact the EPA and your State Health Department first to see if it is legal, how to proceed, and what the limitations and risks are. Knowing this information will help minimize your asbestos exposure.

If you hire a professional asbestos inspector, make sure they have the required Federal and State certifications and licenses.

CAUTION: Lab test results may state the area had less than 1% of asbestos (the smallest amount that can be detected). This does not mean the installation does not have asbestos, it means the area tested did not contain asbestos. There may be asbestos in other parts of the installation.

Asbestos abatement (removal)

If you home had past asbestos abatement, this does not guarantee that other areas or installations locations in the home do not also contain ACM (asbestos-containing materials).

Asbestos-containing materials don’t always have to be removed because their mere presence is not the concern. It is the friable fibers that can cause harm. In some instances, encapsulation (covering) in place is an option or simply continued good maintenance of undamaged building materials. In fact, removal or disturbing the material can cause the greatest risk.

When removal is the prudent action then compliance with some strict regulations will be required.  Because of the risk of asbestos exposure, Hayward Score does not recommend DIY removal. Hire a professional asbestos contractor who has the required Federal and State certifications and licenses.

If you found this article useful, you may also like our Ask An Expert: Lead-Based Paint article.

Resources:

EPA:  https://www.epa.gov/asbestos
          https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/state-asbestos-contacts

CDC:  https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/asbestos/

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 5 / 5. Vote count: 1

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

Ready to Improve the Health of your Home?

Hayward Score helps you discover how your home may be impacting your health in minutes – – for FREE!

Answer a quick set of questions then get a personalized list of action items. Transform your home and health today!

Related Articles
ARE YOU CONCERNED YOUR HOME IS MAKING YOU SICK?

ARE YOU CONCERNED YOUR HOME IS MAKING YOU SICK?

Our guide on indoor quality will help you diagnose possible issues and implement intelligent solutions to improve the quality of the air inside your home.

Related Articles