The accoustic ceiling in my home was tested positive for asbestos. Specifically 2 - 3% asbestos (type: Chrysotile). I have called several contractors to give me a bid for cleaning it up but the question I have is (and this may sound like a stupid question) but is this amount hazardous? I posted here to get an objective opinion that wasn't influenced by some contractor wanting to make a sale and making me pay for something that ultimately isn't necessary.
Thanks.
The only time asbestos is a hazard is if you inhale the dust (fibers) from it. In order to remove the popcorn, it has to be moistened and that prevents dust and associated problems.
I never had mine tested, We just scraped it off and painted the ceilings. IMO, it is NOT a problem and you can save a bundle of money doing it yourself. Messy, so wear some protection.
Keep it wet all the way into the bag. Wash the floor with a mop, don't vacuum at all, use a disposable wet mop (like swiffer wet). Wear a mask and scrape the stuff right into a bag lined bucket and you should be fine. Throw away rags and wash laundry right away.
at 2-3% that means there is 97% other stuff binding it together. Just don't grind it up and let it dry out and the fibers should remain captive.
If you don't mind the looks of it, just leave it and paint over it. Painting over it and leaving it undisturbed will do a much better job at keeping asbestos particles out of your lungs.
Painting it will also make it nearly impossible to scrape off later using the simple moistning method
A web search will turn up hundreds of resources on asbestos ceilings, the relative risk, and what is recommended. There are likely state laws and websites covering it as well.
A related issue to consider is now that you know you have it, in most locations, if you were to sell the property, you have a duty to disclose it to the buyer.
If it were mine and it was not coming off, I might leave it alone. Of course this also depends on who lives there. If you have kids who may be throwing things around that could hit it, that's different than only adults living there. If it's coming loose at all, then I would remove it. And while I do a lot of home repair stuff myself, this is one job I would leave to the pros. They don't wear suits and establish a negative pressure area for nothing. The negative pressure area is particularly important, as you don't want any asbestos making it's way into other areas of the home during removal.
Yup.
I have heard of folks putting new drywall right over the asbestos popcorn. I guess that'd be OK if you don't mind lower ceilings.
You made a big mistake in having it tested (or at least telling the testing people your real name). Now you may HAVE to remove it (for big bucks) or, at the least, disclose to a subsequent buyer.
By "acoustic ceiling" do you mean those separate acoustic tiles? The older ones that are 12 x 24" almost certainly have asbestos. I would have assumed that without going thru the expense and liability of testing.
If you do mean those tiles, they are easy to pop off the furring stripes without breaking them apart.
Other posters have assumed that you meant a sprayed popcorn ceiling. I'm not sure if you meant that or the above...
Doug
I'll definitely let a pro do it. I have absolutely no intention of doing it myself. I've already gotten a ballbark of $7K-$10K. Might just do it. Of couse, insurance has found a way NOT to pay for it... "like a bad neighbor, state farm isn't there".
I might have mis-spoke. It is the popcorn crap. Sorry, I'm not too familiar with ceiling terms.
Oh come on, it is a preexisting condition, the asbestos didn't fly in a window and deposit itself on the cieling after you bought the house. If I bought a house with a defective paint job, I would not expect the insurance company to pay for it. Insurance is not a warranty.
You pay so much because they treat every job like it is a worst case even if the material to be removed is very stable. I wouldn't think twice about doing it myself in this case. Now if it were insulation removal or that crumbly old pipe insulation that is mostly asbestos and visably turns to dust, that would be a jop for the pros.
Why should the insurance company pay? It is NOT a hazard, not a risk, not an accident. Just looks ugly, IMO. For 10K, I'd come to your house and take it down. Damned good money for a week of work. My wife did most of our house. Took her less than a day for each room.
That sounds about right. Remember, not only do pay for the cost of removing the asbestos-laden ceiling material - the environmental suits, the filters, the equipment - but you also are paying for them to legally and safely dispose of the material as well.
Asbestos has significant health issues even in small amounts - 2-3% is enough to pose a significant risk to you and your family if you tried to remove this stuff yourself. You never get it all no matter how careful you are because you don't have the training and equipment the pros do. Leave it to them, and realize you're paying for peace of mind.
I'd normally be the first to jump on the "my insurance should have paid" bandwagon, but in this case, no. This is a normal cost of having an older house. Unless you had the insurance co. write in an asbestos clause (do they even have those?) it isn't covered under the standard homeowners policy.
What is the hazard in the removal? I think you are over reacting in this case. So what if you don't get it all, the paint will cover and seal it.
I have to chime in with the others who say do it yourself and save a bundle. The stuff comes off mucho easy and the "hazard" is about as great as walking down a beach on a windy day.
The only, repeat ONLY cases of asbestosis are found in people who spend
8 hours a day, five days a week, for twenty years, working with raw friable asbestos without adequate lung protection.The real fun comes after it's down and you have to skim coat the ceiling before texturing and painting. If I had it to do over again, I'd hire this part out. It's a bitch.
-Frank
There are two hazards: (1) the physiological hazard of inhaling asbestos particles which will not break down in your respiratory system, and (2) the legal hazard of disposing of asbestos-laden material at your local landfill in violation of federal hazardous material disposal laws.
Now, if you want to take your chances with (1), that's fine. My family has a history of respiratory problems - lung cancer, emphysema, IgA deficiency (I lack antibodies in the mucous linings of my respiratory system...it looks like I have allergies, but there are other susceptibilities) - so I'm not messing with asbestos. Or lead-painted surfaces. I won't bother to list the results of long-term studies into the effects of both here. Google is your friend. But if you want to chance long-term health issues, that's your choice.
On the other hand, with (2), you can't afford the dollar amount of fines the federal government will hit you with should you dispose of asbestos at your local dump or incinerator. Andif you do dispose of material there and your local municipality's landfill is found to have asbestos, now you've caused your taxes and those of all your neighbors to go up as the landfill now has to spend hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of dollars to abate the entire landfill. Congratulations.
Not much of a chance. If you work in an asbestos mine, process asbeston, use i tin the fiber state, you have a very valid point. In the case of a popcorn ceiling, the asbestos is encapsulated in paint. There are no fine fibers to blow around and i tis best to work with it wet anyway. I have no problem doing this nor having any members of my family doing it.
Thereis a lot of asbestos containing material legally taken to the dum every day. Asbestos tiles, shingles, brake pads (if there are any left) can be legally disposed of. Some do want a double bag. Please check your local situation. Encapsulated asbestos is not a problem, now will it contaminate anything.
As yo stated, Goodge is your friend.
Andif you do dispose of
Not going to happen.
I agree that asbestosis and mesothelioma are a rare outcome of prolonged exposure, one must keep up to date on the latest Abestos information out there. I googled and found
Just my 2c
J-
I worked as an auto mechanic in my 20's and inhaled enough asbestos doing brake jobs and clutches to easily kill me if it were all that damned dangerous. 30 some years later I'm still here no oxygen bottle attached. Asbestos. This industry has been shut down in the United States and Canada. There are more asbestos fibres in the free air in California, which is composed of chrysotile rock, than in any manufactured application of asbestos products. The only danger to school children with asbestos in schools would occur when it is removed. This is a wind-fall for trial lawyers. CFC's. As any refrigeration mechanic can tell you CFC's are heavier than air and do not migrate to the ozone layer. In addition, the oceans of the world manufacture more fluorocarbons in one day than DuPont can make in a year. The stuff they replaced this product with have never been tested for toxicity or explosive characteristics.
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