Shine download Are you looking to add insulation in your attic to lower your home cooling or heating costs? If so, be wary of the insulation already present—it may contain asbestos.
While asbestos is generally associated with big businesses in manufacturing, it has also been used in other various products throughout most of the 20th Century. One of the products includes the insulation in the attics of homes built (or remodeled) before the late 1980s.
Contractors used this harmful substance because it was durable, fireproof, light, and an excellent insulator. However, if asbestos fibers are inhaled, they can attach themselves to the linings of the body’s organs and stay there. This can cause several types of respiratory diseases, including asbestosis and a rare, but almost always fatal, cancer — mesothelioma.
A type of asbestos insulation called vermiculite was used in millions of homes between the 1920s and the late 1980s. This mineral substance was mined by W.R. Grace & Company near Libby, Montana. The mine was asbestos contaminated, and any vermiculite from the mine is also contaminated. Unfortunately, millions of homes in the United States used this vermiculite insulation.
Trick ‘r Treat film If you suspect that your home is contaminated with this asbestos-laden insulation, you should call a licensed professional asbestos inspector. If asbestos is found, you can choose to remove the insulation or install new insulation over the contaminated insulation. While being more expensive, complete removal is the only way to ensure the asbestos won’t cause problems in the future.