Asbestos in popcorn ceiling?

[Ohky0815]

Originally Posted by LifeIsGood01

Just so you know a lot of homes have asbestos and as long as it's not cut into or disturbed it is safe. Many homes with these types of shingles may have been made with asbestos, http://inspectapedia.com/exterior/As...es154-DFss.jpg

I saw a home remodeling show and it cost about $3K to removed the old asbestos shingles and they had to put plastic on the outside of the home. It was a small house and it was professional remodeler with connections and in a low cost of living area so I think for an average owner it would cost more.

we have those tiles as siding on our house under the current siding. They didnt take them off, just covered them. Apparently extras were kept in the basement and my dad would play with them as a kid.

Our house was built in 1920 and was my great grandparents. Theres all kinds of Asbestos and lead.

[sholomar]

Originally Posted by RedRican

I'm an environmental professional who train, inspect, design, and oversee asbestos projects on a day by day basis. I'm not going to spend time going over what is asbestos, health effects, proper removal, etc. etc. However, I will tell you that depending on the state you live in, you, as the homeowner can remove the material without any training requirements. Please be aware that there are no federal regulations that require homeonwers to identified if a material in the house is asbestos or not. However, if you are concern about exposure to you and your family, then I recommend the following:

1. either remove all your belongings or cover them with drop cloth;
2. minimize the spread of dust/fibers by containing the area from the rest of the house;
3. put on desposable coveralls and a respirator (P100) at a minimum;
4. with the use of a garden sprayer, use amended water (water with soup) to spray the ceiling;
5. with a scraper, scrape the material and place into a bag, once in the bag spray again, then tape the bag up.
6. if possible, use a vacuum with a HEPA filter as well.
7. make sure to collect, wipe, and vacuum all the debris from the drop cloth prior to removal
8. fold the drop cloth inward, then place in a bag.
9. mist and vacuum your coverall and place in the same bag as well.

Now the question about disposal. IF, and only if, you tested the material and is identified to be asbestos containing material (greather than 1% asbestos), then you are bound to the same disposal regulations as any asbestos contractor and all your waste will have to go to an EPA apporved landfill. However, if no testing has been performed, and you don't know if it is asbestos or not, then it can be disposed of as solid waste. Unfortunately, this is one of those areas people are confused, and even professionals in the business think that even if you know is asbestos, that you can just dump it anywhere or bury it in your backyard.

For Landlords, the information above does not apply to you or any contractor you hire to perform any type of renovation in your rental properties.

For Contractors, you are all required to follow OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1101 (asbestos) regulation on any commercial and/or residential project you perform. Now this regulation only applies for worker protection not the protection of the general public; however, if it is determine that you are exposing anyone (workers and public), then you can be cited by either your locality, state or federal government, as well as increasing your liability for lawsuits. Please know that any commercial project you work on, you and/or the building owner is required under the EPA 40 CFR Part 61 to identified all suspect and/or presumed asbestos containing materials that will be impacted during renovation and/or demolition, and proper abatement shall be performed (with the exception of some materials).

So where am I going with this - if you are a homeowner (not a landlord) and you reside in that home, then it is best not to test the material, but still follow some type of safety procedures when disturbing them. Otherwise, you will be required to properly dispose of it, costing you between $50-200/cubic yard, maybe more, depending where you are and how far it has to be shipped.

FYI - asbestos has only been legally banned from fireproofing and thermal system insulation. It is still being used in a large number of products in the United States.

"ASBESTOS BAN & PHASEOUT RULE
In 1989 EPA published the Asbestos: Manufacture, Importation, Processing, and Distribution in Commerce Prohibitions; Final Rule (40 CFR Part 763, Subpart I). The rule would have eventually banned about 94 percent of the asbestos used in the U.S. (based on 1985 estimates). However, in 1991, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, vacated and remanded the majority of the rule. Currently, the manufacture, importation, processing and distribution of most asbestos-containing products is still legal." from the EPA website, see link for more information Asbestos | Region 6 Multimedia Programs | EPA Region 6

kind of reminds me of radon. Virtually all homes in eastern South Dakota are going to have levels of 8 pci/l or higher in basements but if nobody tests for it then nothing needs to be done. My levels are 20-25 pci/l in the basement and I'm getting mitigation next week because it's relatively cheap and could also improve humidity/odors too.

[Melody23M]

Awesome, thank you for the reassurance. My husband and I literally just finished removing the asbestos riddled popcorn ceiling in our home. We used the 100p respirators, paper suits, sprayed with water before scraping away and both of us being in our late 40's worked ourselves into heat exhaustion cleaning and scraping away the first half of our day.

After a deserved break we attacked more of our popcorn ceiling mess with less and less covering our bodies, as the heat seemed to be the greater threat. From the plastic sheeting slipping and allowing chunks of that nasty wet material spill into any crevice that was available to the stubborn chunks on the corners and edges of the ceilings it was a grueling battle. We managed to get three rooms one bathroom and a large hall done but that was only about half the surface area of our home.

After a day of rest, my husband took on and completed the rest of the house... for the most part the contaminants have been cleaned up. there are many little chunks and large particles still appearing throughout the house. Most of the clean up is not so horrible but rather annoying. We were both feeling a little scared in the back of our minds about what we may have exposed ourselves to but we also just wanted to complete this eyesore of a project so we could move on to out next projects. Our attitude with our dark humor has been, "Well, we're going to die anyway, might as well have a lovely home".

After pouring through the messages in this post. We can breathe much easier. Thank you all so very much for your reassuring insight. I will continue cleaning and removing the little bastard bits and pieces as I find them, using my HEPA filtered vacuum and washing hard surfaces by wetting them. We might not have been perfect in our battle but it sounds like we have done alright. We also changed our heating/air conditioner filters with the over-priced ultra fine filters and plan to replace them at least one more cycle in about three months.

[oh-eve]

I got told I need a specific licensed contractor to remove it and it costs $$$$.


I bought a hazmat suit and mask, did it myself. After 75% of the house, I've had enough.


Called some Mexicans from Craigslist. Informed them about the danger. They didnt care. Scraped it down without any protection. Not sure if they are still alive, that was 8 years ago.

[lchoro]

If you contract inoperable lung cancer anyways as a result of the Mexicans' carelessness, the yellow hazmat suit will come in handy.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by LifeIsGood01

And you are more likely to be struck by lightning than die from 1 asbestos fiber.

But look at all the times it has happened . . . . . .

Oh wait - never.

People who got the disease from asbestos exposure worked in clouds of the fiber for years and years and years. almost all of them were also heavy smokers.

[Scootlife]

Everything it’s gonna be fine. My doctor and my daughter doctor said the same thing that if something happenes it’s gonna take 30-50 years. And we would have to been exposed for years in fact my doctor said that getting mesothelioma is so rare he’s never seen a case on all his time working. There’s more dangerous thing on the daily basis to worry about than asbestos

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by Scootlife

Everything it’s gonna be fine. My doctor and my daughter doctor said the same thing that if something happenes it’s gonna take 30-50 years. And we would have to been exposed for years in fact my doctor said that getting mesothelioma is so rare he’s never seen a case on all his time working. There’s more dangerous thing on the daily basis to worry about than asbestos

Yeah, like worry.

Worry will kill you. Fast.