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Understanding Asbestos Hazards in Your Northern Virginia Home

When we think about possible sources of asbestos in the home, we typically think of insulation. However, asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) can be found in other products installed and used in your Washington DC, Maryland, or Northern Virginia home. Asbestos is a mineral ore which was mined and refined to produce a strong, versatile fiber used in hundreds of construction and building materials. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, American Lung Association, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission state that asbestos hazards may be found in the following home products:

Possible Home Asbestos Hazards

• Some roofing and siding shingles
• Insulation in home built between 1930 and 1950
• Textured paint and patching compounds used on wall and ceiling joints
• Artificial ashes and embers for gas-fired fireplaces
• Walls and floors around woodburning stoves protected with asbestos paper, millboard, or cement sheets
• Some vinyl floor tiles (usually in the form of 9 inch square tiles), vinyl sheet flooring, and adhesives
• Hot water and steam pipes covered with an asbestos blanket or tape
• Oil and coal furnaces and door gaskets

Other common ACMs include pipe insulation found on boiler pipes leading to radiators, soundproofing material, asbestos canvass useded on or as part of HVAC ducting, asbestos board panels installed above boilers as a fire barrier, and asbestos duct tape embedded in concrete slabs. Most products manufactured today do not contain asbestos, and those few products that do are required to be labeled as an ACM. However, until the 1970s, many building products and residential insulation were manufactured with asbestos before the health risks associated with asbestos were fully understood.

Asbestos Presence Hazardous?

The simple presence of asbestos in your home is not always hazardous, but may become hazardous if those ACMs become damaged over time. Disturbed and damaged asbestos can release asbestos fibers, if asbestos material becomes "friable," or crumbles easily into a powder if handled. When these fibers are inhaled into the lungs, they remain there permanently and may cause serious health problems and increase your risk of lung cancer or asbestosis, in which the lungs become scarred with fibrous tissue.

If you have reason to believe that your Washington, DC, Maryland, or Northern Virginia home may contain asbestos, do not handle it. Do not dust, sweep, or vacuum any debris that you suspect may contain asbestos. You can't tell whether or not a material contains asbestos simply by looking at it, unless that product is labeled as such. When in doubt, treat that material as if it does contain asbestos and contact a professional from RTS Environmental Services, Inc. immediately.

Professional Northern Virginia Asbestos Inspections & Repairs

A member of the RTS Environmental team will analyze possible sources of asbestos, and if needed, will repair the problem by sealing or covering the material, or removing the material entirely. All asbestos examinations and repairs must be done by a professional. The RTS Environmental Services, Inc. team includes experienced, trained, and licensed professionals, and we take our time to examine and explain asbestos issues without provoking fear. RTS Environmental, Inc. has provided thousands of thorough, honest, and practical mold and asbestos inspections and solutions throughout the greater Washington DC Metropolitan area. Contact us today if you have any reason to believe your home or business may contain any mold or asbestos.

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