If you are remodeling consider asbestos!

Bill Campbell

I don't mean you should consider using asbestos materials. I mean you should consider the chance you will encounter it in materials you tear out of your home when you start a remodeling project. Asbestos, like lead-based paint, was a commonly used home building material until the late 1970s. Since that time, both asbestos and lead have been highly regulated as building materials and in the methods used to remove them.

Asbestos can commonly be found in such things as: steam pipes, boilers, and furnace ducts for thermal insulation; resilient floor tiles and sheet flooring (vinyl asbestos); cement sheets, millboard, and other materials insulating around furnaces, fireplaces, and wood stoves; soundproofing and decorative materials sprayed on walls and ceilings; patching and joint compounds, textured paints; roofing and siding shingles; artificial embers and ashes; consumer products needing insulation, such as ironing board covers and stove top pads. It is a mineral fiber that was used to add strength, increase thermal protection, and provide texture to building materials.

During the 1970s and early 1980s it was discovered that asbestos exposure could lead to certain types of lung cancer. Asbestos fibers break down into very small, fine fibers that can be breathed into the lungs. They accumulate and fibrous tissue is deposited around them. This fibrous tissue tends to develop into cancerous growths.

Most household uses of asbestos have been eliminated since the early 1980s. Therefore, it is most likely to be found in older homes and products.

Should you be concerned about asbestos in the building materials you tear out of your home as you start a remodeling project? Yes! Here are some things you can do to limit the chances of exposure: If the material is in good condition, leave it alone. If you suspect asbestos in materials that need to be torn out, have a lab test done. Consider sealing or encapsulating materials that are damaged or disintegrating to prevent the release of fibers into the air. Do not cut, tear, sand, drill, saw, or scrape asbestos-containing materials unless absolutely required in the remodeling job. If you have to sand or cut these products, you should seal the area off from the rest of the house (this includes heating and cooling systems) to prevent contaminating the entire home. Do not eat, drink or allow children in the area, and prevent tracking dust into other areas of the home. If you are going to clean the remodeling area, use a water and detergent solution to help limit dust. Wear a respirator that has been approved for use in asbestos atmospheres (these are not the standard dust particulate respirators commonly found at home supply stores).

Removal of asbestos-containing materials is hazardous and should only be done by qualified people. Some of these people are listed in the yellow pages of your phone book under "Environmental Services." The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) maintains a complete list of licensed asbestos and lead-removal contractors. To receive a copy, call IDPH at (217) 782-3517 and request the asbestos contractor list.

Bill Campbell is an Extension Educator, Farm Systems, at the Springfield Extension Center, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Illinois. You can write to him in care of Illinois Country Living, P.O. Box 3787, Springfield, IL 62708. Telephone: (217) 782-6515. E-Mail: campbellw@idea.ag.uiuc.edu

14 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING MARCH 1997