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| So I have asbestos in my home... |
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| shponglefan:
So I just did some testing on my house and discovered that the joint compound for the drywall contains asbestos. Fortunately the quantity is relatively minor (less than 1% per the report). Of course, I find this out AFTER I re-drywalled a room-and-a-half. I have another room I want to redo and am torn between either trying to tear it out myself (taking all appropriate precautions of course), or now hiring a remediation company. Anyone here have experience with this sort of thing? What did you do? |
| Howard_Casto:
I think it's usually better to leave it to the pros for hazardous material removal... why take a chance. Then again I removed a whole bunch of floor tiles from Grandma's house that we found out later contained asbestos and I didn't die of cancer or anything. The stuff is inert as long as you don't breath it in or swallow it. I would think drywall dust would put up a lot of particulate so maybe have someone else do it to be on the safe side. |
| Xiaou2:
There is nothing more valuable than your health, and your quality of the life, that you are currently living. I think its a better choice, to get the pros to take care of Asbestos. They would have all the equipment, experience, and know proper disposal procedures. At least, ask a few of them their opinions, and get a few different quotes. |
| menace:
I think the whole "asbestos in my home" issue is completely overblown. The only way the asbestos will ever become a significant concern is if it becomes friable (turned into airborn particles) and you snorted it-directly. Even at 1% you probably get a bigger whiff of asbestos driving down the highway with your windows open (truck brake pads, engine brake pads etc.) then you ever would in your house. I say leave well enough alone and move on with your life. The caveat here is that if you are a drywaller and do this for a living then you could become exposed to small amounts frequently and possibly develop issues. As a home inspector I see this issue come up time and again and you have to accept reality (every home built before 1970-80 probably has some asbestos in it in the building materials) Unfortunately since you did the test you are now legally obliged to disclose the results to the next person should you ever sell your house. :-[ |
| Typefighter01:
My father contracted Mesothelioma and passed away from the complications of it (never smoked a day in his life) and it was either through his job (but we can't figure out exactly what in his job had asbestos...he dug wells for a living so he was in contact with concrete and heavy machinery) or, when he renovated our house 30 some odd years ago (too late to know for sure if there was asbestos in the walls or not, and there wasn't much info about asbestos back then). Evil disease...you have to weigh extra cost, piece of mind and health against saving money, a lifetime of worry and possible cancer (the fibers can sit in your lungs for decades before they cause issues). So...you takes your chances, and I would hate to see someone go through what my dad went through. Pay professionals, you only have one chance at this... :-\ |
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