There is exposed fiberglass insulation in my attic (in other words, paper side out, exposed fiberglass side in). I'd like to cover some areas of frequent use so there is no exposure to our skin as we touch it. Ideas?
as opposed to skin exposure, you might be breathing it in
fiberglass is a known carcinogen (produces cancer) and required to be labeled as such in the usa
fiberglass fibers are microscopic and cannot be seen, except for maybe looking in the area when it is completely dark with a flashlight and seeing the floating fibers in the light beam, they look shiny
if you must have frequent use of an area with exposed fiberglass, wearing breathing masks is an idea, and if you want to cover the fiberglass to minimize touch exposure, an idea is using nonflammable plastic perforated with tiny holes so the fiberglass can breathe, which minimizes mold etc.
another idea would be remove the fiberglass entirely and use environmentally safe insulation, like recycled cotton insulation treated with environmentally safe pesticide and mold/fungus repellant, or sheep wool if you have the bucks,,,cellulose is another idea
You don't say whether the exposed insulation is in roof / ceiling, walls, or floor. The rest of the building is most probably insulated. The insulation covered with standard building materials. You can do the same. TB
If you are walking over your insulation, as in it's between the top most floor's ceiling and the floor of the attic, you might have it installed incorrectyl.
Now if it's on semi finished walls in your attic, I've seen people put up like 6 mil poly to keep dust down, and it will work as a vapor and draft barrior.
Just guessing, since I can't see your installation. Got photos? :)
later,
tom @
Fiberglass is not a "known" carc "The IARC [Intl Agency for Research on Cancer] working group revised their previous classification of glass wool being a possible carcinogen. It is currently considered not classifiable as a human carcinogen. Studies done in the past 15 years since the previous report was released, do not provide enough evidence to link this material to any cancer risk."
All of which are flammable. Might as well use straw or crumpled newspaper.
Yeah, but it's still a really bad idea to breathe it.
It's just regular wall insulation. Floor is covered with floorboards. I just didn't know if a vapor barrier was acceptable or not. Someone else mentioned perforating the covering.
it is beneficial to the fiberglass industry that you contributed the above comments in favor of fiberglass
here is information from just one of the almost 60,000 hits on google for "fiberglass carcinogen" about fiberglass being a "potent carcinogen", noting fiberglass is tiny pieces of glass, hardly something one wants to introduce into their lungs or body by breathing or any other method
from
As asbestos has been phased out because of health concerns, fiber glass production in the U.S. has been rising. In 1975, U.S. production of fiber glass was 247.88 million kilograms (545.3 million pounds); by 1984 it had risen to 632.88 million kilograms (1392.3 million pounds). If that rate of growth (10.4% per year) held steady, then production of fiber glass in the U.S. in 1995 would be 4365 million pounds.
Dr. Mearl F. Stanton of the National Cancer Institute found that glass fibers less then 3 microns in diameter and greater than 20 microns in length are "potent carcinogens" in rats; and, he said in 1974, "it is unlikely that different mechanisms are operative in man." A micron is a millionth of a meter (and a meter is about three feet). Fibers of this size not only cause cancer in laboratory animals, but also cause changes in the activity and chemical composition of cells, leading to changes in the genetic structure in the cellular immune system.
In 1970, Dr. Stanton announced that "it is certain that in the pleura of the rat, fibrous glass of small diameter is a potent carcinogen." The pleura is the outer casing of the lungs; cancer of the pleura in humans is called mesothelioma and it is caused by asbestos fibers. Stanton's research shows that when glass fibers are manufactured as small as asbestos fibers, glass causes cancer in laboratory animals just as asbestos does.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), of the World Health Organization, listed fiber glass as a "probable [human] carcinogen" in 1987. In 1990, the members of the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP)
That would depend on where you are located.
Mike
I'm located in central North Carolina.
replying to Tom The Great, DIYDon wrote: Cover it with Tyvek or similar highly permeable air infiltration barrier. It?s pretty darn cheap and if stapled and taped, you may also get some heat transfer reduction by reducing convection losses. (There?s highly regarded data from a Canadian government lab showing that at very low temperatures, fiberglass is porous enough to enable convection current to develop within the insulation, drastically reducing effectivess. ........Probably more critical of you live in Alberta?.
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