ASBESTOS

What is Asbestos?

There are no asbestos spores, and asbestos is not human-made as some may have been misled to believe. So what is it?

Asbestos is a group of six unique silicate minerals that occur naturally. 

It is incredibly flexible, fireproof, durable and lightweight. It bonds easily with other fibers and materials, making it a historically popular choice for a wide range of commercial applications. Eventually, asbestos came to be one of the first choices for use in thousands of modern products including construction materials, fire-resistant products, and more.

Where is asbestos found in a home?

Many homes older than 15 years (especially those built in the 1950s and 1960s) contain several asbestos products (such as vent ducts, vinyl floor and ceiling coverings) that were used because the substance strongly resists heat, fire and decay. Left undisturbed, the material poses no health threat.

Today, the use of asbestos in new vinyl materials has been largely phased out in the United States, but many homes and buildings constructed before 1980 still contain old asbestos vinyl flooring, wallpaper and ceiling coverings.

Asbestos popcorn ceilings were popular between 1945 and the 1990s. Asbestos was officially banned from ceiling coverings in 1973. However, previously manufactured asbestos-containing products may have been installed in homes into the 1990s.

Since there is no safe level of asbestos exposure, any trace amount can be a potential danger. Asbestos particles released in the air, especially during home maintenance, repair or renovations, present a risk to you and your family.

Asbestos Locations Inside the Home:

Walls

Asbestos can be found within the walls of your home as fibrous cement sheeting (also called fibro), which is a bonded form of asbestos. The good news is as long as this type of asbestos remains undisturbed, it is relatively safe. However, once it is disturbed, say by a drill or construction work, it can release dangerous asbestos fibres into the surrounding area.

Insulation

In previous years, the material was also used extensively for insulation – as it is incredibly flame retardant. The asbestos you might find in ceilings or in stoves or heaters, is friable – which means the material can become airborne relatively easily, and as such poses a grave risk to your health and those around you.

Vinyl flooring and carpets

Asbestos was also used to help strengthen linoleum, which means that if you have an older home, there is a chance that you might find the material in your floors. The mineral was also found in the hessian underlay of older carpets – which poses a serious risk if you’re renovating your flooring.

Roofs

Unfortunately, asbestos is quite common in older homes’ roofing materials, and is found as corrugated asbestos sheeting (a common brand name for this type of material is Super Six). Asbestos can also be found in older roof shingles and may look like ordinary slate shingles.

Like fibro, these two types of asbestos are safe, as long as the material remains intact. However, due to the nature of roofing and the potential damage they can receive over time, these types of asbestos pose a serious risk.

The above is not an exhaustive list of locations in your home where asbestos might be found, and you should be wary of electrical meter boxes, clutch and brake linings in some older cars, and even in the fire doors of older apartment complexes.