We discovered that the heating ducts inside <br>our walls are wrapped in asbestos today after <br>making some electrical changes in our <br>kitchen. After removing the wall grates we also <br>found asbestos around the metal "boot" that <br>connects into the heating ducts. The edge of <br>this is out in the open, not in a wall. This <br>asbestos is very old and since it's inside the <br>plaster walls and wood lath we think it may be <br>original to our 1912 house. Did they make <br>asbestos back then? It does not look like it's <br>in good shape, kind of peeling etc. <br> <br>Anyway, I'm panicing because we've been <br>living in the house for the past 6 months and <br>using the heater probably blowing asbestos <br>fibers into the air. We are not even sure if it's <br>safe to stay in the house at this point? <br> <br>I have done research online and found <br>conflicting opinions. Some studies say that it <br>hasn't been proven that asbestos causes <br>cancer and that the fears associated with it <br>have been blown out of proportion. I've also <br>read that removing the asbestos or disturbing <br>it can cause more harm than leaving it intact <br>inside a sealed wall. Other information is very <br>negative, saying breathing one fiber can <br>cause cancer which scares me to death <br>because who knows what I've been breathing <br>for the past 6 months? <br> <br>With all the conflicting information, I'm not sure <br>if it's more harmful to remove the asbestos or <br>to just remove the part of the duct that is <br>exposed and leave the rest alone? Any <br>thoughts? <br> <br>

Thanks for all of your opinions and advice! We <br>still haven't determined what we're going to do <br>yet but I feel a lot better about all this. <br> <br>

When my inspector found asbestos on a vent stuck inside a cubbie hole in the attic, he said it was nothing to be concerned about. It was original. My house was built in 1920. He just told me not to disturb it. He also told me that the lead pipe was of no concern...just run the water for a little while when gone for some time. My own personal opinion...the former owners lived in the house 50+ years and both died "very" elderly and they lived with the lead water pipe, lead paint, and asbestos. What did your inspector say about it during the inspection? <br> <br>

This is an excelent point, we should be more concerned with other lifestyle concerns, such as smoking, diet and excercise. After all, anyone over the age of 45 or so, has lived in houses and/or gone to schools containing asbestos and lead. <br> <br>

We were unaware of the asbestos wrapped <br>around the heating ducts until we had to open <br>a wall in the kitchen. Newer pipes connect to <br>the old asbestos covered ducts so it wasn't <br>apparent from the basement / crawl space. <br>The wall grates are covered in layers of paint <br>and not easily removed. They hid the fact that <br>there is asbestos poking out along the edge <br>of the heating duct. So, the asbestos wasn't <br>discovered in our home inspection. <br> <br>The asbestos is mixed in a paste that <br>resembles a cast like Rebecca described in <br>her posting. It doesn't appear intact, it's <br>starting to disintegrate and it is peeling off the <br>duct in places. This is why I'm concerned, <br>although calmer than yesterday. [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] <br> <br>

Hi Heather: First of all, try to stop panicking about what asbestos you may or may not have breathed in during the past few months. The people who have gotten cancer from asbestos are largely folks who were exposed to large doses over a period of years or decades before it was outlawed -- e.g. those who worked in certain jobs where they were constantly exposed to asbestos dust. <br> <br>Also, even if this asbestos is starting to crumble, the actual amount that may have been blown into the air is likely to be quite small. <br> <br>Think of it like this -- smoking isn't good for you either, but smoking for 6 months or even a few years probably isn't going to measurably raise your risk of lung cancer. <br> <br>I would definitely look into getting it safely removed though. <br> <br>Sedonia <br> <br> <br>

Asbestos was used in many things back in the day many of our houses were built. In an average old house you may find it wrapping furnace vents, in shingles, on flooring..... <br> <br>As other posters have said, its not a problem unless it is in very poor condition and particals are allowed to become airborne. I have asbestos around my gravity furnace vents and in my basement flooring. I have no plans to remove it until I need to replace my furnace (and then will pay an arm and a leg to have pros do it)....and have not grown a third eye I just watch it periodically for cracks....and cover them with duct tape (an alternative to painting). <br> <br>

The health risks are not significant if the <br>asbestos remains stable. If it is breaking <br>apart you might want to look into removing it. <br>We just purchased a home that has asbestos <br>in the furnace, in the blown celing in one room <br>and in the exterior siding. We plan to <br>approach each problem differently. <br> <br>If you are or were a smoker I would suggest <br>having a professional do any removal or <br>abatement. Smoking and regular asbestos <br>exposure work in synergy when it comes to <br>cancer. Otherwise a single exposure to <br>asbestos should not be a serious health risk. <br> <br>With that said, you should still take every <br>precaution to reduce your exposure during <br>removal, if you choose to do it yourself. If you <br>choose to remove it yourself there are <br>important tips to keep in mind (these are <br>second hand from a couple of environmental <br>engineers). <br> <br>- As much as possible keep all the asbestos <br>pieces intact, if it stable there is little harm. <br>- Keep everything very wet, to keep the <br>asbestos from becomes airborne. <br>- Double bag all the asbestos in contractor <br>heavy grade trash bags and double tape the <br>opening. <br>- Isolate your work area, so cleanup can be <br>limited to the immediate area. <br>- document all steps that you take in removal <br>and disposal. <br>- There are hazardous waste dumps that take <br>truck loads of asbestos for around $100. The <br>trick is finding them. <br> <br>If you do hire someone to do the removal, it <br>must be a professional (licensed). Otherwise <br>as a homeowner you are not held to the <br>regulations of proper removal if you do it <br>yourself. <br> <br>I hope this helps, good luck. <br> <br> <br> <br> <br>

Don't panic! But don't mess with it until you decide what you are going to do. You don't want to stir it up and create more problems than you have. First, yes, they did use asbestos back then. Quite freely, evidently! Second, are you sure it's asbestos? You might want to send a sample to a lab to have it checked. We had that done as part of a home inspection. Third, you were probably exposed to more asbestos as a child in the schools you went to than in the few months you've been in the house. The boiler in our previous home and several of the pipes in the basement had been encased in asbestos insulation. The home inspectors both when we bought it and when we sold it said it was fine as long as it remained intact. They said there isn't really any reason to remove it unless it is crumbling or, like Bungalow Bill said, is airborne. The boiler guy that I had inspect it said the same thing when I showed him a couple cracks in the casing. The boiler was covered in a casing that looked like the same material as a plaster cast. It was asbestos that had been plastered on as a muddy mixture and then allowed to harden. He recommended that we simply paint over it with a heat resistant paint to strengthen the seal. From what I've been told, it's more of a problem when you remove it than when you leave it there and seal it, provided it's in good condition and not crumbling, etc. You can buy the heat resistant paint either in brush form or spray form at nearly any hardware store. Both Lowes and Home Depot have it. If it's wrapped on in some way, you might be able to use some kind of tape (like duct tape) to rewrap it. You could also call a heating company that deals with old houses and ask them to inspect it and make recommendations for you. It's worth the price of a service call. If you are really concerned, you can call your public health department and have them check it out. HOWEVER, be prepared to deal with whatever they tell you. You may not have any options if you bring them into it. From what I've read about the issue, you can remove it yourself wearing protective clothing and respirators if you can figure out a way to legally dispose of it. Call your local trash company and ask if there is a way to dispose of asbestos in the Hazardous Waste program. If you have to hire someone to do it for you, you're into big bucks because there are standards that employers have to meet to comply with workers comp and OSHA (Occupational safety and health administration? something like that)regulations. Those guidelines are put into place to protect workers that might be exposed to it in extraordinary amounts on a day to day basis. This is one of those times with an old house when you take a step back and take a breath - outside, if you're worried about asbestos [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] - and then check things out thoroughly before you act on it. I bet it's going to be ok.

Asbestos can be leathal for those who are <br>predisposed to asbestosis. However, most <br>people are not . You may want to remove the <br>stuff that is fryable (potentially airborne.) The <br>asbestos that is sealed up shouldn't be a <br>problem. Although it is illegal to dispose of <br>this way, you can remove it yourself by <br>wearing a mask or respirator, wetting it down, <br>sweeping it into a plastic bag and putting it in <br>the trash. Alternatively, you can pay <br>professionals many thousands of dollars who <br>will use another method to remove it. Cheers! <br>