Asbestos can be hiding in your home right now — and in most cases, there is no warning label to tell you. Knowing where it is likely to be, and what to do about it, is the most important thing you can do to protect your family.
Why Is Asbestos Still Found in So Many Homes?
Asbestos has been mined around the world for thousands of years. Its health risks have been known nearly as long — with documented cases dating as far back as Ancient Rome. Even so, it took until the early 1900s for the medical community to clearly establish the dangers for the general public.
Despite those warnings, demand for asbestos kept growing. Its fire-resistant and sound-insulating qualities made it enormously attractive to builders and manufacturers. At one point, the US military even made asbestos use mandatory across all branches of the armed forces. As a result of what can only be described as willful negligence by mining companies and manufacturers, asbestos made its way into everything from automobiles to clothing to building materials around the world.
The shift away from asbestos in construction began in the 1970s, but its use was not fully phased out in the United States until the 1980s. That means millions of homes built before that era may still contain asbestos-containing materials — and those materials are often not labeled.
Where in Your Home Might Asbestos Be Found?
Asbestos can show up in a surprising number of places in buildings constructed between the 1930s and the 1980s. Here are common locations where it may be present:
- Air duct coverings
- Automobile clutches and brakes
- Door gaskets
- Exterior window panels
- Floors and walls around wood-burning stoves
- Gutters
- Heat-resistant fabrics
- Hot water and steam pipes coated with asbestos insulation
- Insulation (attic, pipe, and wall)
- Oil and coal furnaces with asbestos-insulated door gaskets
- Pipes
- Popcorn ceilings
- Roofing and siding shingles
- Textured paint and patching compounds on walls and ceilings
- Vinyl floor tiles, vinyl sheet flooring, and adhesives
- Water tanks
What Are Your Responsibilities as a Property Owner?
If you own, manage, or are contracting work on a building that contains asbestos-contaminated material, you have a legal duty to ensure its proper disposal. Improper handling — even unintentional — is a criminal matter, and businesses can face fines of hundreds of thousands of dollars for corporate negligence.
For more background, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization is a helpful resource on what exposure means for your health.
If you have concerns about asbestos in your home or building — or are planning a renovation — we would be glad to help you take the right next step. Contact our team at services@es-america.com.