asbestos in lath and plaster walls/ceiling?

[don_tspamme]

Hi, our house was built in Southern California in 1958. The walls and ceiling are smooth lath and plaster. About 5 years back the previous owners put in central air and heat and I believe they found asbestos insulation in the attic which was removed by an asbestos removal company.

Anyway, our contractor needed to put in a new ceiling (he was removing soffits and putting in a flared skylight) and also took a pocket door out so that the door way is now double the standard size. Needless to say there was/is a lot of dust.

So now (a bit late I admit) I didn't realize that plaster could possibly contain asbestos... I thought it was ceiling insulation, popcorn texturing and vinyl floor tiles...my contractor didn't say anything either... what I'm wondering is how likely is it that any of the plaster contains asbestos?

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Probably slim. You can buy kits for testing if you are concerned.

Asbestos is harmless if left intact. It is only the particles that become airborne and then breathed into you lungs you have to be concerned about. A coat of paint keeps thing sealed. Ed