Asbestos in Your Home

Most products made today do not contain asbestos; however, if you own an older home you may encounter asbestos because until the 1970s, many types of building products and insulation materials used in homes contained asbestos. Some unscrupulous builders continued using the products beyond this time.

Common products that might have contained asbestos in the past and conditions which may release the fibers into the air include:

STEAM PIPES, BOILERS, and FURNACE DUCTS insulated with an asbestos blanket or asbestos paper tape. These materials may release asbestos fibers if damaged, repaired, or removed improperly during renovation or maintenance work.

RESILIENT FLOOR TILES (vinyl asbestos, asphalt, and rubber), the backing on VINYL SHEET FLOORING, and ADHESIVES used for installing floor tile. Sanding tiles can release fibers, which can easily spread throughout your house. So may scraping or sanding the backing of sheet flooring during removal and renovation.

CEMENT SHEET, MILLBOARD, and PAPER used as insulation around furnaces and woodburning stoves can contain asbestos. Repairing or removing appliances may release asbestos fibers into your home. So may cutting, tearing, sanding, drilling, or sawing insulation which contains asbestos.

DOOR GASKETS in furnaces, wood stoves, and coal stoves may contain asbestos. Worn seals can release asbestos fibers during use or repair.

SOUNDPROOFING OR DECORATIVE MATERIAL sprayed on walls and ceilings may contain asbestos. Loose, crumbly, or water-damaged material may release fibers into your home. As will sanding, drilling, or scraping the material during a renovation or other project.

PATCHING AND JOINT COMPOUNDS for walls and ceilings, and TEXTURED PAINTS may also contain asbestos. Sanding, scraping, or drilling these surfaces may release asbestos into the air. Their use was banned in 1977, but a former home owner or contractor may have used an outdated product years later.

ASBESTOS CEMENT ROOFING, SHINGLES, and SIDING. These products are not likely to release asbestos fibers unless sawed, drilled, cut, or broken into pieces; caution should be used when handling these products.

ARTIFICIAL ASHES AND EMBERS sold for use in gas-fired fireplaces may contain asbestos.

Also, other older household products such as FIREPROOF GLOVES, STOVE-TOP PADS, IRONING BOARD COVERS, and certain HAIRDRYERS may contain asbestos.

AUTOMOBILE BRAKE PADS AND LININGS, CLUTCH FACINGS, and GASKETS.

Houses built between 1930 and 1950 may have asbestos as insulation.