HOME IMPROVEMENT : Asbestos Safety Will Help You Breathe Easier

Mike Delancy doesn’t like to think about the two big remodeling projects he worked on during the ‘70s. The Huntington Beach electrical contractor had bought two run-down homes and fixed them up himself before selling them. If he knew then what he knows now, however, Delancy never would have picked up a hammer without having the properties checked for asbestos.

“I scraped the ceilings, sometimes with a mask, sometimes without. I pulled up all the linoleum flooring and redid the insulation in the attic. Who knows how much of that stuff I’ve breathed in, or what I might get from it?”

Delancy didn’t pay attention to the warnings about asbestos. Now, however, he doesn’t take a chance. “I’ve had my home inspected so I know exactly where I have asbestos, and I know enough not to fool around with it.”

Asbestos is a mineral fiber that is found in rocks. It is strong and highly resistant to heat and fire, making it an ideal insulator. The fiber was a common additive to products such as paints, insulation and even firemen’s jackets. However, research began to show that there was a link between breathing in its fibers and lung and stomach cancer. Restrictions on asbestos products began in the early ‘70s, and by 1996, the Environmental Protection Agency will ban the sale of any product with asbestos.

The danger from asbestos comes from the nature of its microscopic fibers. They are fine enough to pass through an ordinary vacuum cleaner, and when inhaled, they can lodge themselves in the lungs. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), there are no safe levels of exposure.

Before you begin a remodeling project, it’s recommended that a survey be taken by a certified inspector to find out if your home has asbestos and where it is. If asbestos is found, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re in danger.

“Asbestos becomes a hazard when it’s fryable,” says Steven O. Jennings of Cardinal Environmental Consultants in Tustin. “This means that it crumbles easily or flakes off when touched or when air currents blow by it.”

When the material containing asbestos is broken or deteriorated, the fibers can escape into the air and present a problem. Areas where asbestos is most commonly found include:

* Acoustic or “cottage cheese” ceilings. Asbestos was frequently added to the material used in these ceilings until it was banned in 1978. If the ceiling is in good shape, it may be wise to leave it alone. However, if the surface is frequently crumbling and falling on your floor and furniture, or if you’re planning on removing the texture, it may be wise to have it tested.

“A leaking roof can also free the asbestos fibers,” says Jim Smuland of Abatec Asbestos Consultants in El Toro. “You can even disturb the asbestos by brushing cobwebs off of the ceiling with a broom”

* Wall patches and textured paints. The CPSC banned patching compounds that contained asbestos in 1977, which means that if one of your walls has been repaired before then and it’s in need of re-work, you may need to call in an asbestos contractor. Some textured paints sold before 1978 were also blended with asbestos, and these surfaces should be left undisturbed unless they’re damaged or you’d like to remove them.

* Stove insulation. If you have an old wood-burning stove, it may have asbestos in the cement sheet, or millboard, which protect the floor and walls from heat created by the stove. Asbestos has also been used in the gaskets that surround the stove door, which becomes a danger if the gasket is frayed and worn.

* Pipe and duct insulation. Tape containing asbestos has been used to insulate hot water pipes in homes, as well as heating and air conditioning ducts. “We often see asbestos around ducts. It will either be wrapped around the duct in a tape, or we’ll find a corrugated asbestos tube with aluminum foil around the outside to create a product called ‘Aluminasbestos,’ ” Smuland says.

* Wall and ceiling insulation. There is usually little immediate danger from asbestos found here, since living areas are protected from the insulation by the walls and ceilings. However, remodeling projects such as the construction of a new doorway could create an asbestos hazard.

* Roofing and floor products. To help roofing shingles bind, asbestos was an additive to some portland cements. Because the roof is outdoors, asbestos doesn’t present much of a threat except when the singles have to be removed. Many floor tiles have also used asbestos until it was banned in 1980, and could present a hazard once the tile is removed.

Experts recommend that even if you find that you have asbestos products in your house, unless a remodeling project will disturb them, you can live safely without removing it. “A lot of it is just common sense,” Jennings says. “Don’t use abrasives to clean floor tile with asbestos, keep pipe insulation intact and use a misting method to paint ceilings rather than blasting them with spray or rolling them, which might free the asbestos.”

For more information on asbestos hazards, call (800) 638-CPSC for “A Consumer Guide to Asbestos,” a free booklet that has guidelines on asbestos dangers and remediation.