Homes Receive Clean Bill of Health in Asbestos Tests

Air samples taken from older Orange County homes built with heating ducts lined with potentially dangerous asbestos show no health hazard to occupants, an environmental health specialist at New York’s Mount Sinai School of Medicine said Friday.

“The test results were basically negative,” said Dr. William Nicholson, an asbestos expert who directed the study. “Where the monitoring devices picked up signs (of asbestos), the amounts were very slight . . . (and) there was an extremely low level of contamination.”

Nicholson declined to elaborate on the conclusions of the study until a written report on the findings is mailed to county health officials, a process that he said would take “about two weeks.”

But Nicholson did say he was surprised at the test results. He surveyed local contractors last summer and estimated that 50,000 to 200,000 homes built in Orange County from the 1950s to early the 1970s used asbestos materials, particularly tract homes with forced-air heating ducts.

“I thought the levels would be much higher,” Nicholson said.

Asbestos is a known cause of cancer and respiratory diseases. Inhalation of even small amounts of microscopic asbestos fibers can increase the risk, experts say.

The material had been used as insulation in home heating systems. But regulations and the increased use of fiberglass, which is cheaper and easier to work with, have rendered asbestos obsolete.

Air samples were taken last fall from 15 Orange County homes for eight-hour periods on two separate days, Nicholson said. One sample was taken with the heating fan on and another with it off. The homes sampled were those with deteriorated heating ducts, Nicholson said.

The readings were extremely low even in homes where asbestos was used in textured ceiling materials, he said.

Jeff Benedict, a supervisory sanitarian for the county Health Care Agency, said he was not as surprised as Nicholson about the results of the study.

Rolls of corrugated asbestos paper covered with aluminum foil and used as insulation would not normally pose a danger to residents unless the covering was broken, exposing the asbestos, he said.

“We’re glad the results were negative,” Benedict said. “It’s also important that people be aware if asbestos is used in their home in case they’re up there (in the attic) working or something.”

Experts warn individuals who think they may have asbestos in their homes not to attempt to remove or tamper with the material.

“Our philosophy is leave it alone unless it is chipping or flaking or in bad repair,” Benedict said.

The cost of removing or resealing asbestos insulation in a home can cost several thousand dollars, Benedict said.

It is also important for residents planning to remove the material to hire contractors experienced in working with asbestos.

“Otherwise, somebody might leave asbestos dust all over the house,” Benedict said.