Top Five Failed Building Practices: Part 5 of 5 Asbestos Insulation

Here is the final installment of the five-part series, The Top five Failed Building Practices. You can read Part 1: Aluminum Branch Wiring here, Part 2: Fire-Retardant Treated Plywood here, Part 3: Polybutylene Pipes here, or Part 4: Federal Pacific "Stab-Lok" Electrical Panels here.

Part 5: Asbestos Insulation

The last item on our list of the Top Five Failed Building Practices is Asbestos Insulation.

It's no secret that asbestos is a serious health issue. It can be found in its many forms in thousands of older homes.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral and its ability to add strength and insulation properties to building products made it valuable for decades. It was being manufactured in building products until about 1972 but could appear in houses constructed as late as 1978.

Asbestos can be found in wall and ceiling insulation, floors and siding, and as an insulated wrapping on ductwork and pipes. Identifying it can be tricky, but people who commonly work in older homes can make a reasonable determination. A lab test is the only way to tell for sure if asbestos is in a certain product.

Asbestos fibers, when disturbed and floating in the air, can be inhaled and eventually cause certain types of lung cancer. It has not been determined how much is harmful, but it is generally viewed as a heath risk in any amount.

Fibers can be released into the air when the asbestos is disturbed, often by major work such as a house renovation. The key to preventing a health hazard is to make sure the mineral doesn't get into the air. Materials suspected of containing asbestos should either be removed or contained. Any work that involves asbestos should be performed by a professional trained in handling the material.

Removal is costly and has to comply with approved Environmental Protection Agency methods. When I see products that probably contain asbestos, I concentrate more on containing the product than removing it.

How asbestos is contained depends on where it is. Ductwork and pipes can be wrapped or even painted with a special coating. Siding can be painted or covered with new siding, and floors can be left alone, sealed or covered with another floor. Asbestos has also been found in vermiculite attic insulation. This should be left undisturbed.

The Environmental Protection Agency is the best source of information on asbestos in the home.

This concludes our 5-part series! If you missed any of the 5 posts, check them out by clicking below:

Read Part 1: Aluminum Branch Wiring
Read Part 2: Fire-Retardant Treated Plywood
Read Part 3: Polybutylene Pipes
Read Part 4: Federal Pacific "Stab-Lok" electrical panels