Asbestos disturbed, now what?!

8 years ago

A friend was installing a drop down staircase and when he was sweeping up he mentioned he was sweeping up asbestos. I freaked because I was home with my 1 year old and he said it was nothing to worry about because he swept it up.

I have had a different understanding of asbestos when airborne. I am not sure what to do at this point? Who do I call? Is it now in all my furniture? Clothes? Rugs?

any advice or help would be greatly appreciated!

Featured Answer

lazy_gardens

8 years ago

If this was loose insulation from the attic, it was probably NOT "asbestos" of the mineral variety. Rock wool, chunks of paper pulp, and vermiculite (looks like fluffy sawdust) were the common insulations.

The dangers of asbestos have been grossly overstated by lawyers wanting to scare people into suing. Get a vacuum, thoroughly vacuum the area and forget about it.

The people who need to worry about asbestos are mining it, living with the miners, making it into stuff, spraying it as insulation, or cleaning up old crumbling asbestos from old pipes and engine compartments.

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Comments (15)

PRO
Sombreuil
8 years ago
You can't always tell by looking. Get a sample tested. If you're lucky it was just rockwool or something.

Casey
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"klem1: valid response but the job is done....what is there to test?" Exactly why i didn't try to analyze the conditions and reccomended op call in pros or just forget about it. But in typical fashion,alot of misleading information was posted by I.Herd and Tha Said. What to test? The air by taking swabs from surfaces in various locations in the home. Does that answer the question to your satisfaction sdello? Misleading information to name a few. "If it can't be crushed by human hand,it's not dangerous". If asbestos material is broken by a sledge hammer there's dangerious dust in the air. "it's gone now and you were only exposed for a short period". Dust can settle in places where it might be made airborne again next week,next year or 5 years later and that can equal long term exposure. "A little bit of exposure is nothing to worry about". Most particles that enter your lungs stay there forever. Tolorance varies widly and it's unheard of suddenly falling dead but most everyone is effected. Soooo,is loosing only 3% of your lung function something you would be indifferent to? Remember,there are hundreds of other things that can effect your lungs in hundereds of different ways but all tend to be cumunlative. 3% here,1% there and 5% over yonder can add up to copd or worse. But leave it to houzz regulars to dip their toes in anything that show's itself. I'm sorry folks but environmental and medical sience is simply over our heads so how about letting those trained in such handle it.
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PRO
Christopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
8 years ago
quote" Get a vacuum, thoroughly vacuum the area and forget about it." exactly!
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
8 years ago
My sister-in-law is the queen of "worry first, facts later". I don't suggest you join her. You can't prove asbestos without testing. No test, no worry.
klem1
8 years ago
The guy probibly says asbestos and insulation interchangiably when refering to insulation in general. Growing up,people around me called asphalt composition shingles "asbestos shingles". I naturally picked it up but learned the difference at an early age. I wont say how long ago that was but I'll tell you I voted for John Kennedy,spent years in the building trades and I caught myself saying asbestos in place of asphalt less than a year ago. );
kudzu9
8 years ago
I wouldn't jump to any conclusions that asbestos was involved unless testing was done. I will say, however, that one of the worst ideas you can have is to vacuum up asbestos powder with a regular vacuum: asbestos particles are so fine that they go right through the filter bag and get re-entrained in the air...essentially creating more risk That is why asbestos abatement professionals use (and are legally required to use) a specialty device known as a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) vacuum/filter to clean up such material.
klem1
8 years ago
Pul out the Rainbow,suck it up,pour it down the "tarlet" then forgetaboutit.
kudzu9
8 years ago
Although, if it is asbestos, flushing it down the toilet constitutes illegal disposal in many localities.
Debbie Downer
8 years ago
Its really quite pointless for us to speculate about what this stuff is - only OP is in a position to know. She hasn't really provided us with enough info to really know what's going on.

If theres more of it and if you think there's a good chance that it really is asbestos then you really should have it tested (in our state it can be sent to state lab for testing for only $20) No need to freak out about it, but if that's what it is, then it should be dealt with... whether its removal or encapsulation. If it isn't asbestos then you don't have to worry. Either way its $20 well spent!
kudzu9
8 years ago
kashka_kat-

Exactly...I think we're in heated agreement.
toxcrusadr
8 years ago
How old is the house? Is it even old enough to have had asbestos insulation? First thing I'd do is call that friend back and ask him why he used the word. This could quite easily be fiberglass or cellulose. Asbestos went off the market in MOST applications in '78 so if your house was built after 1980 it's very unlikely it has asbestos.

Those who are saying not to vacuum it with a regular vacuum are spot on. The dangerous particles are not the ones you can see, they are micron sized. Leave everything be for the time being.

If there is an actual concern based on the type and age, you can have a sample tested. It would not cost very much - maybe $25-$50 if you send the sample to a lab directly. But that's getting ahead of the game.

What kind of insulation is this? Blow-in, batts, etc.? A picture would help.
beesneeds
3 years ago
Wow mini-split warehouse.... how many spammy sites do you own, and are you spamming them all here? You have already posted several spams. Including necropost spamming here.
Seabornman
3 years ago
His specialty is really old posts, too.
kudzu9
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Yes, there is a pattern there...and I'll remind folks that the flag icon is there for a reason..
Gretchen Mathews
3 years ago
I just wanted to send a testimonial to your website about PerfectPrimer.com

"What a godsend to find Perfect Primer! Now I can just cover the asbestos black mastic on my floor and proceed with new flooring, so easy!!! Prior to finding Perfect Primer I was calling asbestos removal companies and facing spending thousands of dollars to remove the mastic.

What a relief, thank you Perfect Primer!!!"

Thanks again for all your help!!!

Gretchen Mathews

Asbestos disturbed, now what?!

lazy_gardens

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Sombreuil

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