Asbestos in Older Homes, What to Check Before You Renovate

In an older house, pulling up floor tiles, scraping a textured ceiling, or cutting into a wall can disturb asbestos, a material you usually cannot identify by looking at it.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says asbestos-containing materials that are not damaged or disturbed are not likely to pose a health risk. The risk comes from disturbing them, so the planning stage of a renovation is when to deal with it.

1. Why disturbing it is the problem

EPA describes asbestos as a mineral fiber found in rock and soil, used in building materials for its strength and heat resistance. Fibers can be released into the air when asbestos-containing material is disturbed during maintenance, repair, remodeling, or demolition. EPA lists the actions that release fibers: when material is damaged, removed improperly, repaired, cut, torn, sanded, sawed, drilled, or scraped.

Exposure increases the risk of lung disease, and smoking makes that risk worse, according to EPA. The three major health effects it names are lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. EPA also notes that disease symptoms may take many years to develop after exposure.

2. Where it may be in a house

EPA's list of places asbestos may be found includes:

• Attic and wall insulation containing vermiculite
• Vinyl floor tiles, and the backing on vinyl sheet flooring and adhesives
• Roofing and siding shingles
• Textured paint and patching compounds used on walls and ceilings
• Walls and floors around wood-burning stoves protected with asbestos paper, millboard, or cement sheets
• Hot water and steam pipes coated with asbestos material or covered with asbestos blanket or tape
• Oil and coal furnaces, and door gaskets with asbestos insulation

Look at that list next to your project plan. Replacing a bathroom floor touches two items (tiles and adhesive). Removing a popcorn ceiling touches another (textured coatings). A basement remodel near an old boiler might touch pipe wrap.

3. You usually cannot tell by looking

EPA is direct on this: generally, you cannot tell whether a material contains asbestos simply by looking at it, unless it is labeled. If in doubt, EPA says to treat it as if it contains asbestos and leave it alone.

EPA suggests having your home inspected by a trained and accredited asbestos professional if:

• you are planning to remodel, which can disturb building materials, or
• your home has damaged building materials, like crumbling drywall or insulation that is falling apart.

If materials are not damaged and will not be disturbed, EPA says you do not need to test.

3.1. Why not take a sample yourself?

It is tempting to chip off a piece and mail it to a lab. EPA advises against it. A trained professional should take samples, because there may be an increased health risk if fibers are released, and EPA warns that sampling done incorrectly can be more hazardous than leaving the material alone.

4. Vermiculite attic insulation

One material gets its own EPA page. Vermiculite is a pebble-like, pour-in insulation, usually gray-brown or silver-gold. EPA says a mine near Libby, Montana, was the source of over 70 percent of all vermiculite sold in the United States from 1919 to 1990, and that deposit was contaminated with asbestos. Much of it was sold under the brand name Zonolite.

Because of that history, EPA's advice is to assume any vermiculite insulation is from Libby and may contain asbestos. It says further testing is not necessary to take precautions, and that testing can be expensive and may give erroneous results. EPA recommends:

• Leave vermiculite undisturbed in the attic or walls.
• Do not store boxes or other items in an attic with vermiculite.
• Do not let children play in that attic.
• Do not try to remove it yourself.
• Hire a professional asbestos contractor before any remodel that would disturb it.

If you must go into that attic, EPA suggests limiting both the number and length of trips.

5. EPA's do's and don'ts for homeowners

From EPA's homeowner list:

• Do leave undamaged asbestos-containing materials alone, and limit activity, including children's access, in areas with damaged material.
• Don't dust, sweep, or vacuum debris that may contain asbestos.
• Don't saw, sand, scrape, or drill holes in asbestos-containing materials.
• Don't sand or try to level asbestos flooring or its backing. When it needs replacing, EPA suggests installing new floor covering over it if possible.
• Don't track material through the house; if you must walk through, have it cleaned with a wet mop.

6. Repair, removal, and who to hire

If material is more than slightly damaged or will be disturbed, EPA says repair or removal is needed by trained and accredited professionals. Repair means sealing (encapsulation) or covering (enclosure), which leaves the asbestos in place. Removal is complex, and EPA warns that improper removal can increase exposure.

EPA describes two kinds of professionals: inspectors, who assess and sample, and contractors, who repair or remove. Its tips:

• Use two different firms to avoid a conflict of interest between the one assessing the need and the one doing the work.
• Ask for proof of federal or state-approved training.
• Get a written contract covering the work plan, cleanup, and applicable regulations.

EPA notes federal law does not require workers in detached single-family homes to be trained and accredited, but some states and localities do. State agencies keep current lists of accredited professionals.

7. Key takeaways

• Asbestos in good condition that will not be disturbed is generally best left alone; cutting, sanding, drilling, and scraping release fibers.
• Floor tiles and adhesives, textured ceilings, pipe wrap, shingles, and vermiculite insulation are on EPA's list of likely spots.
• You cannot identify asbestos by sight, and EPA says DIY sampling can be riskier than leaving it alone.
• Treat vermiculite attic insulation as asbestos-containing and do not disturb or remove it yourself.
• Before a remodel, hire an accredited inspector, then a separate accredited contractor if work is needed.