How To Tell If Asbestos In Attic

Used for fireproofing and insulation asbestos was a cheap and effective material that became an industry standard for buildings across the country.

How to tell if asbestos in attic. Asbestos is actually a natural fiber so if your attic insulation looks like wool there is a slight chance that it will contain 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. 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. If you re unsure if your insulation contains asbestos play it safe and contact a professional to inspect it.

Differences between asbestos and cellulose insulation before we review the differences between continue reading how to tell the difference. In fact it s still used heavily in some parts of the world such as india and china. There is one primary source of asbestos attic insulation. You may also find thousands of loose particles within walls or under attic flooring.

Buildings made between the 1940s and the 1980s are very likely to have used asbestos materials. Look in your attic for loose fill asbestos. The date of the building or material can also tell you a lot about asbestos risk. It was used in construction materials including roofing materials asphalt shingles roofing felt adhesives putty caulking and patching materials.

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. A quick visual inspection can tell you whether or not you should get your insulation tested for asbestos. 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. Asbestos was a popular material for most of the twentieth century mainly because of its ability to insulate and act as a fire retardant.

Asbestos insulation was widely used as an insulation material in most residential commercial and public buildings constructed between 1920 and 1986. However there are loose fill wall and attic insulation which can contain 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. It was very versatile affordable and it could be used in tiles and blow it with another material vermiculite.