What is Friable Asbestos? |
Question And Answer Category: Miscellaneous |
Question: |
| Dear Blankhelp self-help team, I had a home inspection, and when I walked around with the home inspector, he looked at steam pipe insulation. He suggested that it could be asbestos, and only a qualified lab and sample can verfiy this was asbestos. I panic-ed, since I first had to remember what was asbestos, and how asbestos exposure can be dangerous. While my head was clouded with thoughts of asbestos on my home, and asbestos testing, the home inspector mentioned something about the suspected insulation was intack, but could contain friable material, friable asbestos. The home inspector is now gone, I have a report, and wondered what he said, What is Friable Asbestos? Thank you, Confused home owner. |
Our Advice and Answer: |
| Dear Confused Home Owner, First, before we address your question, What is Friable Asbestos? Let us take the time to suggest you get an certified asbestos testing company. Some advice, when selecting any testing company, we don't like one that both tests for problems, like this case asbestos testing, and re mediates the problem, in this case possible asbestos remediation. If a company test and cleans, there is a potential for a conflict of interest. Get an environmental tester, and if you have a problem, then get a separate asbestos remediation company. OK, What is Friable Asbestos? Friable Asbestos is a term given to asbestos that is easily crumbled, releasing air born asbestos fibers. Asbestos is most dangerous when it lodges itself in your lungs. Once there it creates damage is not easily removed by the body. So keeping asbestos in a solid, non-airborne form is important. So friable asbestos is asbestos that has the greatest potential of creating an airborne asbestos danger, if one does not already exist. To give you an analogy, you of course don't want to keep gasoline in your house. Imagine keeping the gasoline not in an approved container, but an open bucket. See although both are dangerous, one is very dangerous, and one step way from a severe accident. We want to leave you with this advice. We are not sampling your home, we are not asbestos experts, we can only help you make the wise decision to get the suspected material tested, and evaluated. If it's deteriorated and contains asbestos, your health, and those exposed to the fibers are at risk. Good luck with your decision, The BlankHelp Team |
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