Only a trained technician using a microscope can see asbestos fibers. But now that we know the damage asbestos has on our lungs, removing this undesirable building material has become common practice. Vermiculite is a naturally occurring mineral that is perfectly safe when pure.
Loose Wall Insulation NorHaz
Exposure to asbestos is the main cause of mesothelioma, an aggressive and deadly cancer.
Vermiculite is a was mainly used in wall and attic insulation up through 1990.
If you have vermiculite insulation in your home, you should assume this material may be contaminated with asbestos and be aware of steps you can take to protect yourself and your family from exposure to asbestos. The epa says that vermiculite insulation, which is the pebbly stuff found in attics of many older homes, is only risky if it contains more than one percent asbestos. There was also a deposit of asbestos at that mine, so the vermiculite from libby was contaminated with asbestos. A mine near libby, montana, was the source of over 70 percent of all vermiculite sold in the united states from 1919 to 1990.
Vermiculite insulation containing tremolite asbestos.
Asbestos fibers must be inhaled to cause disease. When vermiculite is tested for asbestos and is found to contain less than 1% asbestos, it is considered to not be asbestos containing. When insulation containing asbestos is disturbed, lightweight asbestos fibers are released into the air and can be inhaled. Look at the photos on this website and then look at the insulation without disturbing it.
Vermiculite is a naturally occurring mineral mined around the world and has been used for insulation and agricultural purposes.
A member of the phyllosilicate group of minerals, it resembles mica in appearance. Some vermiculite produced at libby mine in montana from the 1920s until 1990, sold primarily under the brand name zonolite®, has been found to contain asbestos. If the insulation needs to be removed or disturbed, my advice has previously been to recommend first having it tested for asbestos. Asbestos was used briefly in some cigarette filters in the 1950s.
If there is a potential for it to become airborne.
When heated to around 1,000 °c, vermiculite flakes expand and form pockets of air, making the material seemingly ideal for use as insulation. However health canada has found some brands of vermiculite. Before 1990, approximately 80 percent of all vermiculite insulation was made from vermiculite that came contaminated with arsenic by libby. Vermiculite is a naturally occurring mineral compound that expands when heated.
Asbestos fibers in vermiculite are too small to be seen by the naked eye.
In its pure form, vermiculite is clean, odorless, nontoxic and sterile. Attic insulation produced using vermiculite ore, particularly ore that originated from the libby mine, may contain asbestos fibers. For more information on vermiculite insulation or other asbestos containing materials contact us at [email protected] do you need vermiculite insulation testing in the uk? Contact us on 0203 874 9530 or 01444 812 388.
Extracted from the mine between 1920 and 1990, this vermiculite insulation was sold mainly, but not exclusively, under the trademark zonolite ® attic insulation.
It is not always necessary to remove the asbestos from the workplace or home. Summit environmental can undertake sampling to certify the vermiculate insulation materials are asbestos free. Facilities and in other countries which have low levels of contamination in the finished material. Vermiculite itself does not pose a health problem.
The asbestos found in vermiculite is extremely friable and is the most dangerous type (amphibole) of asbestos.
Once vermiculite is disturbed millions of asbestos fibers become airborne. Recent findings about vermiculite ore contaminated with tremolite asbestos have. I need to find out if my insulation contains asbestos. Vermiculite insulation product from the libby mine in montana is known to contain high levels of amphibolic asbestos.
Where the asbestos is located, and ;
The best way to minimize asbestos exposure from vermiculite is to not remove or disturb the insulation. How can you tell if vermiculite has asbestos? Disturbing vermiculite insulation or dust containing asbestos will result in exposure unless precautions are taken. Vermiculite was mined in libby, montana, from the 1920s until the mine closed in 1990.
Vermiculite is a mineral used in a number of consumer products, including home insulation.
While in operation, the mine in libby produced most of the world’s supply of vermiculite. Moving the vermiculite will cause fibres to become airborne. Although vermiculite has a lot of asbestos fibers, the material cannot be identified by a naked eye. Vermiculite is a mineral that was once all the rage in building insulation.
Identifying insulation that is made from vermiculite.
What is vermiculite asbestos insulation? Asbestos is not a major contaminant, and only a few ore deposits have been found to contain more than trace amounts of asbestos minerals. If you have loose fill vermiculite in your home as insulation, there is a chance that it contains asbestos. Consider this statement from research titled, “zonolite attic insulation exposure studies” where even the suggested method for removal by the manufacturer (grace) created a.
Vermiculite ores often contain a range of other minerals including, in some cases, asbestos.
Until 1990, about 70% of the vermiculite mined in the us came from a single montana mine that was contaminated. Bags of the product were often sold under the name zonolite®. That’s good news, because most zonolite, a type of vermiculite insulation, falls into that category. While not all vermiculite produced before 1990 contains asbestos fibres, it is reasonable to assume that if a building.
Unfortunately, an estimated 75 percent of it came from libby, montana, where it usually was contaminated with toxic amphibole asbestos.
Vermiculite has been used in building insulation, potting soil and fertilizer. Vermiculite is a loose fill insulation that looks like a mixture of small grade gravel nuggets, but is soft when squeezed, just like popcorn. Today, vermiculite is mined at three u.s.
