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| So I have asbestos in my home... |
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| BadMouth:
--- Quote from: menace on February 25, 2016, 07:24:05 am ---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) --- End quote --- This is my thinking too. Do some research and decide for yourself though. I went to the trouble of sending off four samples from ceiling tiles, floor tiles & drywall. Everything came back negative. When I hauled an entire pickup load of ceiling tiles to the garbage transfer station, I was all ready with my negative test results. The guys there just chuckled and said they didn't need to see it. I got the impression they didn't care if it was asbestos. --- Quote ---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. :-[ --- End quote --- That's the big part and the reason you pretty much have to remove it now. Even though it's really no problem unless it is turned into powder, the value of the house will take a hit at least equal to the cost of having it professionally removed and restoring the house back to normal with other materials. The bottom layer of paint in one of the rooms in my house tested positive for lead. I tested while the baseboards were removed. The original paint was the only layer behind the baseboards. All other rooms tested negative. I made the decision to just ensure it was encased completely by the top layer of paint. When I bought the house, there was a disclaimer that because of the age, it "may contain lead paint". If I sell it, I'll be able to say "yeah, one room contains lead paint but it is completely sealed by subsequent layers". I'm not sure how much of an issue it will be if I ever sell the place. In my mind knowing where it is and that it's contained is better than it being unknown, but that's just me. I think asbestos is a bit scarier to most people. |
| BadMouth:
Giving this a bit further thought, it's really more of an all or nothing deal. There's no point in removing asbestos from only part of the house if there will still be asbestos in other parts. From the buyer's perspective, its still got asbestos. One less room of asbestos makes no difference if three other rooms still have it. If there will still be asbestos in other parts of the house, I'd just use 1/4" drywall overtop the old stuff unless you're changing the layout or something. |
| shponglefan:
Thanks for the replies, all. I hear what people are saying about the health issues. I've been digging into studies about drywall joint compound and asbestos, and most of what I've read suggests the risk isn't terribly high, but there is still a risk. FWIW, my previous drywall removal I did use an asbestos-rated respirator, but naturally wasn't as diligent about keeping dust levels down had I know there was asbestos in the walls. Also, my neighbor completely gutted his house about a year or so ago. Not sure if he did any asbestos testing, because I don't ever recall seeing an abatement crew at his house. I'll have to ask him. |
| shponglefan:
--- Quote from: BadMouth on February 25, 2016, 11:07:42 am ---Giving this a bit further thought, it's really more of an all or nothing deal. --- End quote --- Knowing what I know now, I'm going to work towards getting rid of all of it. So this means tearing out walls and ceilings in the whole house. But I can only reasonably do a bit at a time, short of moving all my furniture and fixtures out, and doing a whole-house remediation. --- Quote ---If there will still be asbestos in other parts of the house, I'd just use 1/4" drywall overtop the old stuff unless you're changing the layout or something. --- End quote --- A lot of what I'm doing is replacing insulation on exterior walls (the existing stuff is crap and there is no vapor barrier), and adding sound-absorbing insulation on the interior walls. So that's mainly why I'm looking at removing existing drywall. |
| shponglefan:
--- Quote from: Typefighter01 on February 25, 2016, 10:13:09 am ---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... :-\ --- End quote --- Sorry to hear about your dad. You're right, paying a few thousand to do it professionally is probably worth the piece of mind of not having to worry about the long-term health consequences. Well, not worrying about additional exposure at any rate. |
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