Asbestos insulated ductwork

[enigma]

I think some of my very old ductwork has some kind of thin and "rotten" asbestos paper insulation. Wanna see it on a photo? I can take pictures if you're curious. What would you suggest? Should I call 911 and leave the house immediately or go chew on the insulation? )

[two-sense]

If there is any questions about it you can make a call to the EPA and ask them if there are any credible abatement company's in your area. I am pretty sure anyone of them would be hapy to make a "house" call...
The absolute BESTOS way is to leave it the heck alone.. Get a specialist in the field out there
It is better to be safe than to find out the hard way! By loss of health or some sue happy lawers out there...
The views from me are subject to deletion and alot of denial if there are lawyers involved with any suits of degragation of character place upon me. This message will self destruct in.......................... OUCH

[glennac]

Asbestos won't hurt you or your family if it is not loose and flyable. It’s all political, PC, and CYA type stuff. The original OSHA rules in 75 told how to safely and economically handle it. Wet it down use gloves and a filter mask and remove it and dispose of it but that is not legal any more and I can’t recommend you do this now because of laws etc. but you get the picture. That’s all I got to say about it.

[hydronicsman]

Originally posted by glennac8
Asbestos won't hurt you or your family if it is not loose and flyable. It’s all political, PC, and CYA type stuff. The original OSHA rules in 75 told how to safely and economically handle it. Wet it down use gloves and a filter mask and remove it and dispose of it but that is not legal any more and I can’t recommend you do this now because of laws etc. but you get the picture. That’s all I got to say about it.

This type of post shows the danger of internet info. The word is "friable".

Go ahead-try to remove your own asbestos, and in the process, contaminate the surrounding area. Where do you dispose of it? And don't you think you are putting others down the disposal chain at risk, let alone yourself, your family and future inhabitants to the house?

Get a certified abatement contractor in there. This stuff is not to be fooled with. It was an idea that seemed good at the time, like smoking.

This post is coming from a HAZMAT certified contractor.


[Edited by hydronicsman on 01-29-2005 at 08:39 AM]

[enigma]

Thanks for the info. I did not know that paper wrap was asbestos until someone construction person told me and a HVAC guy told me not to worry about it, - he even riped a piece of it in front of me. He said they'll remove it when ductwork is being replaced. Also - can a floor tile be asbestos? I mean when I bought this house I bought it "as is" and I wasn't informed about asbestos and I remember I asked about asbestos and the previous owner told me "not that I know of". So there's one room with carpet which I removed and exposed some plastic looking grey floor tile which chipped while removing the carpet and the carpet nails. I wonder if that floor tile could be asbestos?

[craig1]

Originally posted by enigma
Also - can a floor tile be asbestos?

yes, alot of floor tiles have asbestos in them. however, floor tiles are one of the safest forms of asbestos. because they are so dense, the asbestos never separates from the other tile material and becomes airborne. unless you are going to do something stupid like sand the tiles, i wouldn't worry about it. you should be MUCH more concerned about the contractor who says they are going to remove the asbestos from your ducts. from the info you posted, it doesn't sound like they are going to do it safely. like other posters said, the best thing to do is leave it alone. however, since it sounds like you are having the ducts replaced due to construction, leaving it alone does not to appear to be an option. find a licensed asbestos abatement contractor to remove it.

[glennac]

[
This type of post shows the danger of internet info. The word is "friable".

Go ahead-try to remove your own asbestos, and in the process, contaminate the surrounding area. Where do you dispose of it? And don't you think you are putting others down the disposal chain at risk, let alone yourself, your family and future inhabitants to the house?

Get a certified abatement contractor in there. This stuff is not to be fooled with. It was an idea that seemed good at the time, like smoking.

This post is coming from a HAZMAT certified contractor.


[Edited by hydronicsman on 01-29-2005 at 08:39 AM] [/B][/QUOTE]

You’re a real smart ass you know that. In the state of Georgia a home owner can legally remove asbestos from his own house. A small amount of asbestos can be removed by a certified contractor with out a permit. If you have to get a permit it will cost you a lot. Asbestos naturally occurs in the ground. To legally dispose of it, you put it in a double lined sealed plastic bag and it is buried in a certified land fill. Now I am 61 years old and I have been around long before this stuff be came illegal to use. If you are a smoker and are exposed to a good dose of "friable" asbestos you might be in trouble. However a little tape which is non friable shouldn't hurt you. By the way I never have looked it up on the "internet" I just remember dealing with it over the years before and after the ban in 1975. I don't know if the state that the problem is in allows homeowners to do there own removal but if they do the cost of taking it to a certified land fill is not that expensive verses hiring someone like your self to remove it. Like I said before the original OSHA Regs back in 75 told one how to handle it safely and the later regs are PC, political and CYA type of stuff. You are entitled to your opinion and I can see that you love government regulations no matter how far out and expensive they are. That’s all I have to say on this matter. By the way I appreciate you correcting my spelling. That part was my mistake and you are correct there.