Asbestos 101: The Need To Knows.

Updated: Oct 14, 2022

Most people will immediately freak out upon the mention of asbestos, and rightfully so.

I'm going to try and explain it here to help you better understand it. In hopes that you don't need to have that immediate knee jerk reaction and possibly run away from a home that you otherwise love.

Please note: this is in no way the end all be all of information regarding asbestos and its health hazards. It is merely for informational purposes to help you understand some of its uses and where in your home it could be found and the concerns associated with it.

Chrysotile asbestos in its natural form.

A very brief history of its use

Asbestos is a mineral that is naturally occurring and that is fibrous and flexible in nature. It's inherent properties to resist heat, electricity and corrosion quickly made it extremely useful in the manufacturing of different building materials and applications throughout the construction industry.

It is commonly understood that around 1920 is when it started to make its way into the mainstream commercial building industry and was not banned until 1977.

Although banned in 1977, some products had long shelf lives and the selling of back stocked items that contained asbestos was not prohibited, it trickled off the shelves for the next few years. As a general rule of thumb you should assume the potential for asbestos to be found in homes using these materials up until around 1980.

Drywall Compound (seams and skim coating of walls, textured walls, popcorn ceilings)

Insulation (vermiculite, commonly found in attics, occasionally in wall insulation)

Acoustic Tiles (often seen as drop ceiling tiles, or soft tiles attached directly to a wall or

ceiling)

Linoleum Floor Tiles and Sheet Vinyl Flooring (found in the tiles themselves, the

backing material, or the adhesive used to secure the tiles)

Duct Work Connectors and Tapes (seen connecting metal ductwork and also

used as a tape to seal the seams of ducting connections)

Roofing Materials (can be found in cement asbestos tiles, asphalt shingles, roofing felt,

underlayment, flashing or sealants)

Exterior Siding (commonly found as cement asbestos tiles)

Piping Insulation (around hot water supply lines and steam lines)

As popular as it was, there are more materials and other locations it can be found in throughout homes that are not listed above. Those are just the most common.

While these are the most common and often visually identifiable, we, as home inspectors cannot conclude that the material definitively contains asbestos on your report. That needs to be confirmed with proper lab testing to verify the presence of asbestos.

The Danger

The real danger with asbestos is when it becomes what is called friable ("easily crumbled", aka dust that can become air born). When these materials become damaged or break down they have the ability to create dust that can get into the air in our home. When inhaled the asbestos fibers become trapped in our lungs forever, causing damage to our lung tissue. That damage can create scar tissue, the regenerated tissue can then become cancerous. There are many health risk associated with inhaling asbestos fibers including asbestosis, mesothelioma, lung cancer and a few others.

That being said, the presence of asbestos in certain materials in your home is of very little concern until they are disturbed.

Take for instance popcorn ceilings as a very common one. As long as that ceiling is not damaged or disturbed, and sealed with paint, the asbestos in that material simply remains in the ceiling and not in the air.

If for many reasons you decide that popcorn ceilings are hideous and you want to remove it, that is where the health concern would lie. Removing it from the ceiling would damage and disturb the material causing it to become air born as dust and a very real health risk. It is always best to leave the mitigation or removal of potential asbestos containing materials to the professionals.

In most cases, asbestos materials in homes are not of an immediate concern unless they are friable, or you're planning to remodel or remove materials that may contain it.

In my opinion the most immediate concern when finding asbestos materials in a home is when it is found on the heating system ductwork. It is often already old, dried out and in a deteriorating state (friable). Not only that, it is in direct contact with the system that moves air throughout your entire house. So, to me, having friable asbestos material that is possibly being blown through your breathing air is of concern.

My second place concern is on old hot water line and steam line insulation. That one is concerning to me for similar reasons. These materials are all old and typically in that tender or deteriorated "friable state". Often times in basement with asbestos plumbing line insulation it can be bumped into, things get stored in contact with it, and can otherwise be disturbed. Allowing it to become dust, air born and into our breathing air.

After that, most of those other materials (popcorn ceilings, linoleum tiles, siding, roofing, drywall compounds, etc.) are not in places that are commonly disturbed or damaged, and some of them are on the exterior of the home anyhow. When left alone, and properly sealed with paint (popcorn ceilings) the asbestos fibers pose very little risk.

The Takeaway

Asbestos is a real health and safety concern. But, only when it becomes air born and is inhaled. In most materials it is found in, when left alone, asbestos is not causing an immediate or acute risk.

So hopefully next time you hear the word asbestos, you wont immediately be in fear for your life. It's not like it is radiation that is emitting hazardous unseen particles into your body when it is at rest. It is of concern when in a friable condition and being inhaled.

Just remember that if you go to remodel your house and start tearing into walls, attics, flooring, and other parts of your house that asbestos can be found in a variety of materials. Those materials when disturbed during demolition do pose serious health risks if not handled properly and while wearing the proper safety equipment.

Never underestimate asbestos's health risks, but I hope you at least understand it a little better now.

Whenever in doubt consult an inspector or a specialist, it's not worth your health to save a few dollars removing potentially hazardous materials.

Please note that these are just a few of many places asbestos can be found. It was a very great material in regards to its inherent properties so it became widely used in many many products. When in doubt, have it tested if you believe it is a potential concern.