Loose Fill Asbestos Insulation...

[Shannow]

Got notification this week that my home doesn't have loose fill asbestos in the roof.

I knew it anyway, as back when I bought my 1940s fibro house in the mid 90s I got the inspector to take a sample and gave it to our local asbestos stripping company...I knew the walls were asbestos containing sheeting, which requires care, but was worried about the loose fill asbestos purveyors that were operant in the '70s (and later by the looks of it)...Doyle declared it as safe, I took his word and knowledge.

But had the roof space tested Feb 14th, and results came back this week as clear.

Bit of background....

There were companies, in the 60s and 70s importing and selling sacks of loose fill asbestos, and blowing it into people's roof spaces... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr_Fluffy

Loose fill was milled asbestos fibres with absolutely no binder of any type...sometimes blue asbestos, the worst of the worst.

I knew people in Canberra who had it, and in the '90s were paying $20k to have the roof space decontaminated. I aksed a mate how they knew that the stuff hadn't gone down the wall cavities, and they didn't know...

Turns out that they couldn't and subsequently clumps of this stuff have been found in wall cavities during renovations and the like.

So it has been ascertained that it can't be fixed...only fix is demolition, of take your chances and live in it. Flippers are particularly at risk.

New legislation about to be passed in my state will require house sellers to certify that their property is free of loose fill asbestos, and if you lie, you are liable should it be found...again...flippers.

However, they have offered free inspections and testing in the affected areas in my state...had to register by August last year, and get scheduled. All run by our state department of Fair Trading.

If free, your property goes on a register as tested and free...no worries, no cost...buyer gets access to the register and you are off the hook.

Don't sign up, then you have to certify upon sale that it's free, then are legally liable for the discovery later down the track.

But...if it was found...is an interesting position.

It's still your place, and you can live in it...but you own the asbestos.

State will buy you out, and clear the property. They will pay 2015 price, as if there was no asbestos fill. Offer $10k(ish) for temporary accomodation and replacement of furnishings, plus title transfer payment relief on your next place.

You still hurt a little, but a lot less than $80-100K to clear an affected property.

Alternatively, they buy the house, you keep the land, and they clear the property.

Good to know that my initial concern 20 years ago meant that I haven't been living with the stuff...others in the family are a little sad that we don't get to build a brand new house on one of the best locations in town.

Question for my US friends...did loose fill asbestos take hold in the US ?

 

[JC1]

Good to know that you government did the right thing.

In Canada there was asbestos insulation in the attics called vermiculite. It's may still be in old houses that were built after WW2.

There is also asbestos wrap for pipes and in the plaster and tiles.

Here is an excellent website to determine if your older house contains any of these harmful products.

https://inspectapedia.com/index.php

 

[Chris142]

My outside walls are asbestos tile.

 

[Dan55]

I did not know that vermiculite was considered asbestos ?

 

[JHZR2]

Cant say I have an answer about loose fill. I know of lots of situations where asbestos pipe insulation was used in buildings. Where I grew up, there was a massive effort for remediation, especially in schools, in the late 80s.

Loose fill asbestos is scary! Most of what ive seen was surrounded by a top layer if plaster infused cloth to make a rigid insulator, where the asbestos is encapsulated if left alone.

 

[doitmyself]

Originally Posted By: Dan55
I did not know that vermiculite was considered asbestos ?


It "can" be: https://www.google.com/search?q=asbestos+vermiculite&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

In the early 1980's I was involved in a project to shop vacuum the stuff out of a building attic. We wore respirators, but still........ This was before anyone gave thought to asbestos.

It is, or used to be a common product in soil-less media potting mixes and greenhouse employees were exposed to the dusty stuff all the time when filling containers.

Nothing I can do now.

 

[FCD]

In Finland one of my family members had to move out of his apartment for a few weeks because they had to take out all the asbestos, the building was maade in the late 70s so...
Asbestosis is horrible.

 

[E150GT]

My house was built in 1948. I am sure there is some somewhere

 

[Kestas]

I had some asbestos sheet near the furnace in my 1961 house. Never touched it, never bothered it.

 

[ecotourist]

Originally Posted By: JC1
In Canada there was asbestos insulation in the attics called vermiculite...There is also asbestos wrap for pipes and in the plaster and tiles.

Vermiculite itself is not asbestos, though some vermiculite contains asbestos. And the only way to tell which is which is to have it tested.

You are correct, asbestos was sometimes used in the manufacture of floor tiles and linoleum, outdoor wall tiles, and drywall compound/spacking.

I bought a house knowing that its steam boiler had an asbestos covering. I had the basement cleaned by asbestos specialists and the asbestos covering encased in plaster by another asbestos specialist company. Enclosed asbestos is not a problem. Disturbing asbestos when you don't know what you're doing is a big problem.

But buying an old house with a new boiler could also be a problem. What did they do with the old boiler? I understand the usual way to remove a boiler was to tip it over and let it fall on its side. That would make it split into segments - and the asbestos coating would go everywhere. Vacuuming up asbestos with a normal vacuum can actually spread asbestos. You need to use a special vacuum with a hepa filter on the exhaust.

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: ecotourist
Originally Posted By: JC1
In Canada there was asbestos insulation in the attics called vermiculite...There is also asbestos wrap for pipes and in the plaster and tiles.

Vermiculite itself is not asbestos, though some vermiculite contains asbestos. And the only way to tell which is which is to have it tested.


There are even asbestos fibres in talcum powder at times....

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Cant say I have an answer about loose fill. I know of lots of situations where asbestos pipe insulation was used in buildings. Where I grew up, there was a massive effort for remediation, especially in schools, in the late 80s.


We did a big power station strip in the '90s...wrap the whole place up in plastic, negative air pressure systems, hepa filters, and showers draining through hepa filters...the entire exposed surface has to be sprayed with PVA to encapsulate residual fibres.

My sheeting is majority fibre cement, from when the fibres were asbestos...in the cement matrix, they are "bound", and a coat of pain keeps them there...Don't drill and screw.

When we renovate a wall, lay down plastic sheet, dampen the surface, pull the nails (if easy), or punch through if not. Drop it onto the plastic, wrap it. drop the coveralls and mask on top, and wrap it again.

 

[dishdude]

Mr. Fluffy sounds like such a nice name, who would guess he'd be a killer?