Column: Asbestos in common places can be household hazard

Published 12:00 am Monday, November 19, 2001

In our attempts to identify harmful products in our homes, we often overlook some very obvious hazards.

Monday, November 19, 2001

In our attempts to identify harmful products in our homes, we often overlook some very obvious hazards. Occasionally, I receive calls from people wanting information about asbestos. They may suspect the floor tiles in the basement, slate siding or insulation. There are many other sources of asbestos in the home too, and we should at least be aware of them.

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Asbestos, if left undisturbed, is harmless if it can be covered or sealed during remodeling, and may be cheaper and easier than removal and disposal. If asbestos is in the ceiling tiles or walls, fibers may become airborne and pose a problem when doors slam shut hard, someone jumps off the stairway or bed, etc.

Asbestos is a lightweight mineral fiber that is very strong, heat resistant, fire retardant and a good insulator. You cannot see asbestos fibers with your eye and pieces of the suspected materials must be sent to an environmental laboratory for analysis. Places in the home where asbestos might be found are: textured sprays on walls or ceilings in older homes; insulation around furnaces and duct pipes; pipe insulation; appliances such as stoves, freezers, dish washers and dryers; floor coverings; roofing materials and siding such as patching materials, slate and stucco; adhesives and cement board.

There is no known &uot;safe&uot; exposure level for asbestos and any exposure should be minimized to avoid potential harm. If, for any reason, you accidentally disturb asbestos, care should be taken to limit the invisible fibers from becoming airborne and exposing everyone else through inhalation. Wetting the materials is the most common method of handling asbestos. You should never disassemble old appliances as many contain asbestos insulation. Also, these old appliances contain mercury switches, electric motors and oil that may contain PCBs, lead solder and other hazardous materials.

Homeowners are allowed to remove asbestos themselves from a single-family home they own and occupy. This work is not easy and there are many regulations that must be followed to limit exposure to anyone in the area. The Minnesota Department of Health does not recommend removal of asbestos by a homeowner – for their safety and the safety of anyone entering their home. It is better if a licensed contractor does the job. To determine if you have an asbestos-containing material, contact a laboratory to find out what size, how much to send, and how to package the sample. Our office keeps a list of laboratories that do this testing.

Asbestos-related deaths occur decades after initial exposure, sometimes not showing up for over 30 years. Even then, the length of time and amount of exposure play a role in lung related diseases such as cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos.

Cautions we can take? Use personal protection if there is the possibility for exposure. Make sure your heating and cooling systems are turned off when handling asbestos containing materials. If you see damage to insulation suspected of containing asbestos, heating pipes, floor tiles or slate house siding, have the materials tested or removed by a licensed operator and apply a fine mist to the exposed areas with a hand sprayer. Include all exposed protective gloves and clothing in the disposal bag with the asbestos. The Environmental Services Department has a brochure on asbestos: &uot;How do I identify it, how do I handle it, where do I send it?&uot; Call our office at 377-5186 to have this information sent to your home.

Randy Tuchtenhagen is the solid waste officer in the Freeborn County Environmental Services department.