There is a lot of bad stuff floating around in the air in houses. Indoor airPLUS is the EPA program that addresses pollutants in houses and apartments. At the moment it is a program for new houses, but a new program for existing houses is in the works. That program will include asbestos, lead paint, carbon monoxide, combustible fuels, radon, and ozone along with relative humidity, temperature, and carbon dioxide. But there is a lot of other stuff. Unfortunately most of the action levels for other pollutants are for outdoor action levels, and that doesn’t do us much good indoors.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fiber that occurs in rock and soil. It is found in roof shingles, floor tiles, some stove or fireplace surrounds, and insulation. It is common in old houses with steam heating systems to have the steam pipes insulated with asbestos insulation. If the insulation is in pristine condition, it is unlikely that the fibers will be disbursed into the air unless the insulation is disturbed.

The little fibers can lodge in the lungs and cause lung cancer, mesothelioma (a cancer on the lining of the chest and abdominal cavity), and asbestosis (the lungs become scarred with fibrous tissue, leading to a shortness of breath and persistent cough).

Because of its fiber strength and heat resistance, asbestos has been used in a variety of building construction materials for insulation and as a fire retardant. Asbestos has also been used in a wide range of manufactured goods, mostly in building materials. Most uses of asbestos are not banned. Asbestos fibers may be released into the air by the disturbance of asbestos-containing materials during product use, demolition work, building or home maintenance, repair, and remodeling. In general, exposure may occur only when the asbestos containing material is distubred or damaged in some way to release particles and fibers into the air.

Asbestos may be found in attics and wall insulation produced containing vermiculite, vinyl floor tiles, and the backing on vinyl sheet flooring and adhesives, roof and siding shingles, “popcorn” textured paint and patching compounds used on walls and ceilings, walls and floor around wood-burning stoves protected with asbestos paper, millboard, or cement sheets.

https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/learn-about-asbestos

Please join my newsletter mailing list. Thank you: http://eepurl.com/3NmKT