Asbestos - flooded basements

[Kavvy]

Good day all,

Hopefully a question which doesn't need to be asked.

I spent all Tuesday ripping out drywall and insulation from someones basement. We have masks on once the ripping began (not before when we were shop vacing water). The masks didn't look like the expensive type, as they were bulk in a box.

The house is in Elbow park.

It is old, there was work done to it in the 80's.

The insulation looked bright pink, with some black dirt (we assumed from the flood, thought it was a little quick for mold).


Do I have anything to worry about regarding asbestos? Could it be asbestos? If it is, what type of expose is bad? It wasn't like insulation was flying all though the air.

I don't really want to go to the flood victim and ask if they had that in the basement, I don't know why just prefer not to ha.

My wife is fairly worried, she wants to throw out the clothes I was using!

[Caged Great]

I would throw out the clothes you were using either way. Even a small exposure to Asbestos can cause cancer down the road. Be extremely careful.

[burn_this_city]

Asbestos insulation is grey chips, from what I understand it was usually used in attics.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

I would throw out the clothes you were using either way. Even a small exposure to Asbestos can cause cancer down the road. Be extremely careful.

Good grief! Asbestos is not good for you, but it's not going to kill you being exposed to it once.

Kavy - you've got nothing to worry about. Asbestos is not pink, for starters.

[Red_Baron]

I deal with it in my industry and the amount of exposure is the key.
It is recommended to wear a rain jacket or other material that the fibers cannot get stuck in and it is recommended to wear a respirator but a regular dust mask is sufficient for short term (less than a work week). Shower at the end of the day and you'll be fine.
Also, since most of the material that could contain asbestos is probably still damp, your risk for exposure is even further decreased.

[MelBridgeman]

Considering The City has done a great job of insuring safety, you would think at the very least this type of risk would of been mentioned - I haven't heard anything.

[Caged Great]

Originally Posted by sclitheroe

Good grief! Asbestos is not good for you, but it's not going to kill you being exposed to it once.

Kavy - you've got nothing to worry about. Asbestos is not pink, for starters.

I am overly cautious perhaps, but it's always better to err on the side of caution.

[Buff]

If your arms fall off tonight, then you may want to see a doctor.

[Robotic]

I'd suggest having a bath full of acid, just to be safe.

[speede5]

Was it pink fiberglass? that stuff has no asbestos. You need to worry about vermiculite insuation, looks like little chipped up wafer material that has a shimmer to it. Zonelite is the really nasty one, you will usually only see it in attics. Other material that can have asbestos is insulating paper that was stuck on ducting before duct tape and foil tape became popular. If it is fibreous and more than 20 years old there's a good chance it's got asbestos in it.

Given that everything your throwing out is probably saturated you are in an extremely low risk situation. I do a lot of reno work, I've seen a fair bit of asbestos. It's not that bad if you treat it with respect, but it's also not in everything, so you don't need to start planning your funeral.

Vermiculite (don't mess iwth this stuff without proper protection):

[Kavvy]

Originally Posted by speede5

Was it pink fiberglass? that stuff has no asbestos. You need to worry about vermiculite insuation, looks like little chipped up wafer material that has a shimmer to it. Zonelite is the really nasty one, you will usually only see it in attics. Other material that can have asbestos is insulating paper that was stuck on ducting before duct tape and foil tape became popular. If it is fibreous and more than 20 years old there's a good chance it's got asbestos in it.

Given that everything your throwing out is probably saturated you are in an extremely low risk situation. I do a lot of reno work, I've seen a fair bit of asbestos. It's not that bad if you treat it with respect, but it's also not in everything, so you don't need to start planning your funeral.

Vermiculite (don't mess iwth this stuff without proper protection):

Thank you all,

Only the bottom half of what we yanked out was wet. However, it was pink, so I think it was the fiber glass stuff.

Now I am worried about the particular board and paper covers ha!

[drywall_taper]

Originally Posted by Robotic

I'd suggest having a bath full of acid, just to be safe.

this!

[Jedi Ninja]

We had one basement that contained asbestos tile, I believe some of it was removed before the owner alerted people to it. It also had rock wool insulation, which I understand usually does not have asbestos but occasionally does. Because everything is damp, the risk of inhaling fibers is lower.

[You Need a Thneed]

With asbestos, the real worry is breathing it in over longer periods of time. There are some asbestos containing materials that really aren't a worry, except when you have to do something to them that might release some into the air, ie, demolishing it.

You were wearing a mask, and only doing it for a short time, really nothing to be worried about.


Asbestos has always been a long term exposure thing.

[undercoverbrother]

Depending on the age of the house you can also find asbestos in tiles, and other building materials

[pseudoreality]

I've done a lot of asbestos sampling. It can be found in a lot of building materials: insulation, flooring, floor backing material, and the biggie most people don't think of is dry wall mud (joint compound). If your house is older than say 83 there is a good chance something has asbestos.

Proper asbestos abatement is extremely expensive. I never recommend anyone do it themselves, but may people (including myself) do. If you do, where a respirator, disposable coveralls, and seal off the area you are working in with poly. Bag everything really well and wash down the area after you are done.

Asbestos fibers do permanent damage to your lungs and extremely high risk to smokers.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[RogerWilco]

Originally Posted by Kavy

Good day all,

Hopefully a question which doesn't need to be asked.

I spent all Tuesday ripping out drywall and insulation from someones basement. We have masks on once the ripping began (not before when we were shop vacing water). The masks didn't look like the expensive type, as they were bulk in a box.

The house is in Elbow park.

It is old, there was work done to it in the 80's.

The insulation looked bright pink, with some black dirt (we assumed from the flood, thought it was a little quick for mold).


Do I have anything to worry about regarding asbestos? Could it be asbestos? If it is, what type of expose is bad? It wasn't like insulation was flying all though the air.

I don't really want to go to the flood victim and ask if they had that in the basement, I don't know why just prefer not to ha.

My wife is fairly worried, she wants to throw out the clothes I was using!

If the insulation was pink it was most likely Fiberglas batt insulation. The mask should be enough . Asbestos in old homes is common in floor tiles. But if it is wet a d not in the air if you have protection on I don't think you need to worry a out it.

[stampsx2]

What year did they stop using asbestos in buildings? Isn't the pink fiberglass insulation hard on your lungs too? I know if it gets on your skin it itches.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

What year did they stop using asbestos in buildings? Isn't the pink fiberglass insulation hard on your lungs too? I know if it gets on your skin it itches.

Fiberglass:


Asbestos:



I guess one of the theories with asbestos is that the fibres are so small they entangle with chromosomes, causing the kind of damage that can lead to cancerous growth.

[speede5]

Asbestos also lodges in the lung tissue and stays, most other material will be expelled over time. That is why one exposure can actually be harmful.