Is There Asbestos in My Home?

By Barbara O'Brian
http://www.maacenter.org/
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The short answer to the question, “Is there asbestos in my home?” is “Yes, probably.” How much, where, and whether you should worry, depends mostly on when your home was built and what condition it is in.

In the U.S., if your home was built after the mid-1990s there might be asbestos in roof shingles, floor tiles, cement pipes and boards, caulking compounds, and joint cements. However, this is not necessarily something to worry about.

Asbestos is a mineral that breaks into small fibers. The fibers are dangerous to breathe, because if they settle in the lungs they can cause mesothelioma, a deadly lung cancer, and asbestosis, a debilitating disease that interferes with breathing. You should also avoid ingesting asbestos. However, as long as the asbestos fibers are encased in something so that the fibers can’t be breathed, or get into your water — generally the case with newer construction materials — you can safely leave it where it is.

Insulation in Homes Built Before the mid-1990s

Homes built between 1920 and 1950 may have asbestos insulation. Also, be aware that homes built after 1950, and possibly as recently as the mid-1990s, may contain an insulation called Zonolite made of vermiculite contaminated with asbestos. The vermiculite came from a mine in Libby, Montana, a community so contaminated with asbestos the EPA recently declared Libby to be a public health disaster.

As long as the insulation is enclosed in a wall where fibers cannot escape, it is not hazardous. However, if walls are damaged, or if your remodeling plans involve cutting into a wall, you must arrange for state-certified asbestos abatement specialists to deal with the insulation. They may either remove it or find some way to contain it. But do not handle the insulation yourself.

Asbestos in Homes Built Before 1980

Here are just some of the other places you might find asbestos in an older home:

Shingles and walls. From the 1920s and until 1978 asbestos cement shingles were a popular choice for housing exteriors. Also until the 1970s, cement sheet, millboard, and paper with a high asbestos content were used around fireplaces and wood burning stoves. Cutting or drilling these materials can release asbestos fibers into the air you breathe.

Soundproofing. Until the 1970s, soundproofing material containing asbestos was sprayed on walls and ceilings. Asbestos also was used in textured paint and patching compounds until 1977. The asbestos in these applications can become loose and release asbestos into the air, if they haven’t already.

Hot water and steam pipes. These may be coated with asbestos or wrapped with asbestos tape.

Oil and coal furnaces and door gaskets. Replacing an old basement furnace in your home can create an asbestos hazard.

Inspection and Abatement

At this point, you may be worried about the cracks, chips, and flaking in your older home. It cannot be stressed enough that if asbestos really is present, you need professional help to deal with it. Deal only with asbestos inspectors and asbestos abatement contractors that are licensed by your state.

The first step is assessing whether there really is an asbestos danger in your home. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends that you hire an inspector who is independent from any abatement contractor you might use to avoid a conflict of interest.

Even if there is asbestos in your home, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to have it all removed immediately. If the asbestos is in a place where it won’t get into the air or water, it may be left alone. But be aware that renovations or damage to your home might release the asbestos, and then you must call in an asbestos abatement contractor. Don’t try to deal with it yourself.

Just Say "Ew" to Diaper Pail Systems

Note: On my honor, this is NOT a paid product review.  I am writing about this product because I believe in it so strongly and want others to know about it too.

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I'm on kid #3 now and I like to think that I've learned a few things along the way.  I don't know everything about any one of my kids, of course, but I have learned which baby products aren't worth their weight in salt.

The baby product industry makes a gazillion dollars each year and the majority of the products are terrible for our children and the environment.  Whether its plastic items with phthalates (now banned in California because of the health risks associated) or painted items tainted with lead, our children are being harmed with things we buy for them out of love.  Even the most basic of show of love for our infants - keeping them clean in a fresh diaper - exposes them to chemicals such as Dioxin which can cause a myriad of health problems.

And some baby products are not only bad for the environment and the world in which we are raising our babies, they just don't work.

Diaper pails are a terrific example.  When I was pregnant with my first child, I registered for all of the products I was told I would need and a Diaper Genie was one of them.  Imagine, a product that would hide that stinky diaper smell!  But I was sorely disappointed.  The smell was not hidden.  It was, in fact, amplified.  The smell eventually leached into the plastic body of the Genie so that the smell greeted me each time I open the receptacle.  My husband and I tried everything - we washed out the receptacle, we sprayed it with Lysol and left it outside to air out over night - but nothing worked.  Eventually, we opted to buy another Diaper Genie.  

Huh?.  In hindsight, I'd like to kick myself.  Why would we spend more money on a product that wasn't working?  And when I think of the environmental impact... ugh.  We repeatedly spent approximately $25 for the disposal system and $6 for the plastic bag refills (they hold 30 small diapers, fewer as the child grows and uses larger sized diapers).  We spent $6 every week?  Every month?  For years???  We spent all that money on something that not only wasn't doing what we expected, it was adding plastic bags to landfills.

So then came kid #2 and we knew better.  We didn't even bother with the Genie.  We just put stinky diapers in plastic bags, tied 'em up and then tossed them in the trash.  Ugh again.  More plastic going into a landfill.  Yes, we were reusing the plastic bags but they were still landing in a trash heap for 500 years. 

But now, with kid #3, I've found the miracle stinky diaper container! I've found "Keep Me Tidy Diaper Sacks" by Classy Kid, Inc.   These seem like plastic bags but they aren't - they are made of a biodegradable polyethylene.  They keep the odor completely inside the bag and I can toss those stinky diapers right into the trash with 1/2 the guilt (still feel guilty for using "disposable" diapers but just haven't gotten past the convenience yet).  And they are super affordable!  It costs approximately $3 for 75 bags!  And each bag fits 3 stinky diapers (at least size 3 and smaller... will let you know how many fit once kid #3 grows into them).  I can use one bag to hold an entire day's dirty diapers.  Miraculous!

Order Classy Kid's Keep Me Tidy Diaper Sacks right now or visit their website to learn more about their environmentally and kid friendly products (I'm going to try the toilet seat covers and place mats next).  You won't be sorry, I promise.  And tell your friends, too.  Let's start a diaper pail revolution after years of being revolted!

Making a Difference: Part II

You Can Help Without Writing a Check!
The American Red Cross helps those in need throughout the United States, especially in times of natural disasters like Hurricane Ike. While they always appreciate financial donations, sometimes it’s hard for us stay-at-home moms to write a check. Now there’s a new way to help. Donate your old cell phone by Oct. 31, 2008 to ReCellular Inc. and they’ll contribute $1 to the American Red Cross. Visit their site for a free shipping label and more information.

Drink More Wine and Juice
Okay, time to start sorting that trash… Save your wine bottle corks and juice pouches and send them to TerraCycle, Inc. (http://www.terracycle.com/). They’ll up-cycle them into cool products and, while they accept most juice brands, they’ll donate $.02 to a charity of our choice for each CapriSun or Honest Kids pouch! $.01 will be donated for other brands. How cool is that???

Dirt Don't Hurt

I'm not sure if, in these PC day, people ever say it, but I remember the saying, "God made dirt so dirt don't hurt." Well, apparently it's really true! And my favorite guru, Dr. Christian Northrop agrees. This is bigger than the two-second rule, people.

(Source: http://www.drnorthrup.com/news/dirtisgood.php)

“Researchers from Great Britain’s University of Bristol and University College of London have discovered that a bacterium found in soil—common, garden-variety dirt—has an unexpected health benefit. The bacterium, Mycobacterium vaccae, may be effective in fighting depression. This bacterium was already known to help stimulate the immune system and has been used in clinical trials to treat patients with cancer.

Graham Rook, a professor of immunology, has researched the link between exposure to microbes and the development of allergies. Rook believes that the modern world’s improved cleanliness may contribute to increases in such conditions as asthma, eczema, and hay fever, as well as autoimmune diseases such as type 1 Diabetes and Crohn’s disease (an inflammatory bowel disorder). ‘We’ve known for a couple of decades now that a whole group of chronic inflammatory disorders are becoming much commoner in the rich developed world,’ he says.”

Thanks for confirming what we intrinsically knew, but were too bamboozled by health companies to believe, Dr. Northrop and Co.