Is Old Grey Attic Insulation Dangerious

How to identify building insulation photos provide an isulating material identification guide.

Is old grey attic insulation dangerious.

In older homes specifically asbestos may be found in many different materials from pipe insulation to flooring adhesive to roof shingles. Types of dangerous old insulation. How to replace it. One of the most common materials containing asbestos fibers is attic and wall insulation.

A few more examples of old insulation are sawdust balsa wood shredded newspaper and loose fill cellulose. Two types of old insulation that are dangerous to your health are urea formaldehyde foam which is usually gray or yellow and brittle and asbestos. Although some homeowners have used it in this way it was never approved for use in the attic. Vermiculite attic insulation is the main source of concern with asbestos dangers although asbestos is not in every brand.

Formaldehyde off gasing is a concern so this product is no longer on the market. If the insulation is not properly sealed off it can get into air vents and circulate through the building. Now that we know the old attic insulation types on the market the question is whether there is a newer more modern alternative available. Although most people are aware of the dangers of asbestos there are a few more types of hazardous insulation that are commonly found in older homes.

Homeowners can also come across fiberglass insulation during repairing or clearing out the attic. Services crawl space attic insulation. Photo guide to identification of different building insulation materials properties of different building insulation products description of non asbestos materials sometimes mistaken for asbestos in buildings types photographs of building insulation that does not normally contain asbestos. In addition to building insulation vermiculite is commonly used with.

Fiberglass insulation a man made mineral fiber con structed from a variety of materials such as sand and recycled glass is the most popular form of insulation in the united states more than 90 percent of homes in america are lined with the pink stuff source. Fiberglass insulation is not generally considered to be dangerous but it can irritate the skin and respiratory system. If the loose fill insulation is grey puffy and fibrous then that is rock wool insulation. But while many see the benefits of insulating our houses.

But just because your insulation is old doesn t mean it is dangerous. In case of a fire it gives off an extremely toxic smoke that is more dangerous than regular smoke. The major attic insulation dangers from this type of material would come from combustion.