Asbestos in Older Communities ~ Managing Asbestos in Older Homes

Asbestos In Older Communities

Older buildings around town are very likely to contain asbestos in the materials that were used to build them originally, or that were used to refurbish and renovate them in the decades after they were built. While it is common to find asbestos containing materials in structures that were built between World War II and the 1970s, buildings that date from earlier eras also often contain material made with asbestos. Knowing where to find asbestos and how to recognize it can help you avoid disturbing asbestos and creating a health hazard for yourself, your family and your community. This information can be especially important if you work in an older public building which is undergoing renovation.

Where Asbestos Is Likely to Be Found

While asbestos was used in thousands of construction and consumer products, there are specific uses of asbestos that were most common, and that are most likely to present a problem for homeowners and for those involved in maintenance and custodial care in public buildings.

Duct and Pipe Insulation

One common place to find asbestos is in heating and air conditioning ducts and pipes. Transite was often used for ducts and pipework, and ducts, pipes and joints may have been sealed with asbestos containing cement or sealer, or wrapped with asbestos-containing insulating paper. Look for:

• The words ‘transite’ or ‘transit’ stamped on pipes is generally a good indicator that the material from which the ducts or pipes were made contains asbestos. Transite was used for chimney flues, heating ducts and air conditioning vents among other things. It typically contains up to 25% asbestos, and is prone to becoming water-logged and deteriorating. The absence of a stamp is not a safe indicator that a pipe does not contain asbestos. Transite pipes are generally white to gray and appear smooth.
• Heating duct wrap containing asbestos may be found intact or torn wrapped around pipes. Paper tape containing asbestos was often wound around piping. Pipe sleeves made of white accordion-corrugated cardboard are also likely to contain asbestos. More rare is woven asbestos cloth used as dampers and baffles in HVAC units.
• Asbestos paint or cement was often used around pipe elbows and joints.
• Remnants of asbestos paste or fibers clinging to bare pipes may suggest that asbestos containing materials were improperly removed and cleanup wasn’t completed. Signs of improper removal could indicate an asbestos hazard and should be reported and examined by a professional.

Acoustic tiles, ceiling and wall tiles

Acoustic ceiling and wall tiles were very popular in buildings built from the 1940s through the 1970s. They may be square or rectangular in shape, are usually white and appear to be made of fibrous board. The surface may be smooth, or may have a pattern of regular holes. It’s not unusual to find asbestos-containing acoustic ceiling tiles hidden above suspended or drop ceilings, or behind wallboard walls that were built over existing tiled walls during renovations.

   
Plaster wall and ceiling treatments commonly contained asbestos

Asbestos floor tiles

During the 1940s, vinyl asbestos floor tiles were very popular in commercial and public buildings. The most common size of these floor tiles was 9x9 inches, but some floors may have used 12x12 inch tiles as well. Often, the original floor tiles were not removed when carpeting or new floors were laid and the original asbestos tiles are only discovered when new renovations pull up the old floor. Renovations and repairs that include removing the tiles, sanding, buffing with steel wool and other abrasive methods of refinishing could release asbestos fibers into the air.

   
   Asbestos tiles were often used as flooring and may also still be resting under newer floors

Asbestos under the flooring

Many of the mastics and adhesives used to glue floor materials in place contained asbestos. If the old floors are torn up, the mastic or adhesive is likely to emit asbestos dust into the air. In addition, sanding old floors with asbestos mastic or adhesive will fill the air with asbestos containing dust.

What you should do if you think you’ve found asbestos:

It’s nearly impossible to identify asbestos with certainty by visual inspection alone. Until the results of testing are in, it’s wises to treat the material as if it does contain asbestos and take all necessary precautions when working with or around it.

If the suspect asbestos is in a public building, it should be reported immediately to building management, who will have a management plan that describes the steps that they should take to identify and deal with the problem. If it is in your home, the EPA recommends the following:

1. Don’t panic. In most cases, asbestos containing materials in your home are not hazardous. If the material is not damaged, and not in a location that is likely to be disturbed or damaged, the best course of action is to leave it alone.
2. If you’re not certain whether a material contains asbestos, you can have it sampled by a professional laboratory to determine the asbestos content. If you choose to take a sample yourself, be certain to follow the precautions below.
3. Avoid disturbing or damaging materials that you suspect contain asbestos. Do not sand, puncture, cut or tear any materials that you think may contain asbestos.
4. If you choose to remove or sample a material you think contains asbestos yourself, be sure to use proper safety equipment, including a respirator mask approved for use with asbestos, gloves and containment methods to avoid releasing asbestos fibers into the air. The respirator used should have a HEPA filter (magenta colored filters).

1. Always check with your community code board for information on how to deal with suspected asbestos before taking any action at all. Violating any of the standards for handling asbestos can make you liable for expensive remediation, fines and even jail time.

When to call in a professional:

If you suspect that a material contains asbestos, it should be examined by a professional asbestos abatement firm. If the material is damaged, torn, flaking, scraped or otherwise showing wear, it’s very important to have it examined to identify whether it contains asbestos.

While it is often legal for homeowners to remove asbestos-containing materials found in their homes, they are expected to comply with federal and community standards of asbestos removal and disposal. Those standards can call for specialized containment methods to keep asbestos dust inside the work area, and the use of safety equipment like respirator masks and air quality control monitors. In addition, there are strict standards of care for disposing of asbestos, including restrictions of where asbestos-containing material may be disposed of. In general, if you are planning to have asbestos removed, it should be done by a licensed professional. For more information on asbestos and its risks, including asbestos cancer and mesothelioma, please visit asbestos.com.

Managing Asbestos in the Older Home

Why Do Homes Contain Asbestos?

Asbestos was used in many building materials for decades, ending in the late 1970s. Asbestos is located in many products, including vinyl flooring, “popcorn” ceilings, and even old water pipes. There is no reason to feel alone if your home contains asbestos, most homes built prior to 1978 do.

Once the health problems associated with asbestos became widely known, it ceased to be added to building materials, however, there was never any recall of products that contained the asbestos products, so retailers continued to sell the products that they already had in stock, and manufacturers continued to send what they had already produced to retail stores. Because of this, some experts believe that even homes built in the early 1980s could contain asbestos building materials.

Asbestos exposure has been linked to mesothelioma and asbestosis, both serious lung diseases, as well as increased incidences of various forms of cancer, including lung, gastrointestinal, and esophageal. Because of the health risk, many people are concerned about their home containing asbestos building materials. No matter how much your concern, the idea of testing all of the building products in your home, and potentially ripping them out and replacing them is a daunting task.

Do I Have to Remove Asbestos From my Home?

If your home contains asbestos, it may seem crazy to leave this carcinogenic material in place, in an area where your family sleeps, eats and lives. The fact is, asbestos is much more hazardous as it is removed from a home than it is in a home. If the materials in your home are in good repair, it makes sense to leave them in place. Asbestos exposure can only occur when the asbestos becomes airborne. As long as the asbestos containing building materials are in good condition, the asbestos cannot become airborne. If you have floor tiles or wall panels that you believe may contain asbestos and they are worn or otherwise in disrepair, it makes sense to repair or remove these.

How Do I Remove or Repair Asbestos Containing Building Materials?

The only way to definitively say whether your home contains asbestos building materials, no matter how old it is, is through sampling, which must be done at a laboratory. In lieu of this, many people choose to assume the products contain asbestos when they remodel. The safety methods that you use to work around asbestos containing building materials are good practice for any remodeling project. If you choose to do the work yourself, you must first decide if you are going to repair or replace the asbestos containing materials. In a private home, it usually makes sense to replace the materials, which has the added benefit of allowing you to update the look of the home at the same time. To replace the asbestos containing materials in your older home you need to:

• Contact your waste removal company. Asbestos is a hazardous material, and cannot be mixed with your normal waste. It all ends up in the landfill, but your waste removal company may have special directions for disposal, and, of course, will expect a separate fee.
• Create an airlock outside of the room you will be working in. Do this by hanging two layers of plastic sheeting several feet apart outside of the door. The plastic should completely enclose the hallway outside of the room. This way, you pull the plastic back, step into the small plastic sealed area, put on your protective gear, go through the next plastic layer, and enter the room. When you leave, reverse the process, leaving your protective clothing in the airlock area.
• Wet the area that is to be removed thoroughly. Asbestos fibers can only be ingested or inhaled when airborne. Wet the area down thoroughly so that any asbestos particles that you stir up do not become airborne.
• Remove the building materials in as large of sections as possible. The smaller the section, the greater the risk of inhaling asbestos fibers.
• Unless your waste company gives you different directions, seal all building materials in plastic bags that are tied shut.
• Do not run a fan or open windows until the project is complete.
• Once all of the asbestos containing materials are removed use a wet mop on the floors and wet cloths on the walls to clean the area. Do not vacuum.
• Once you are satisfied that you have cleaned the area thoroughly you can open windows and run a fan to dry the area out.
• Wear disposable overalls and a breathing apparatus from the time you begin work until clean up is completed.

Fore more information on asbestos exposure, asbestos removal, as well as malignant mesothelioma, please visit The Asbestos and Mesothelioma Center at www.asbestos.com.

Do not let fear of asbestos keep you from purchasing or remodeling an older home. It is important to take the proper steps to remove and dispose of the asbestos containing material properly, both for your own safety and that of your family.