asbestos insulation for ducts

christinesan

Hi I'm Christine, I'm curious about some paper insulation around my duct. I own a home built in 1930, and my contractor ripped out this duct with this paper like insulation. He said it wasnt asbestos before he did so knowing that I have 6 children. Now I've come to the knowledge that it possibly was asbestos. I have tests being done on Monday. Are my children and I endangered being that it was blowing through my vents for 6 weeks. Is it possible that this isn't asbestos? -christine

gregzoll

It is Asbestos impregnated, but as for exposure to your children, more to worry about other stuff, than this. My house is over 70 years old, and the orig. home owners that owned it before us since the day it was built, breathed more asbestos in & lead paint dusts, than we would ever have done in the five years that I had the Asbestos "tape" on the last three ducts in my house, which have been removed and are no longer in my home.

As for removing any remaining dust or tape, your best thing is to contact an abatement company and come in and do a air test to see how much residue may be in the home, then go from there.

bluebird5

your contractor should know better that to tear something out that may put asbestos in the air if it is asbestos and he has endangered your family then he needs to pay to have is remediated and he should be flipping the bill for a hotel til the results come back and if its negative thn he should be reembursed the hotel costs this if why you are supposed to hire licensed and insured contractors

BadgerBoilerMN

No one could know if it is asbestos or not, without testing as there were many paper products and many asbestos/paper products in use at the time. Since testing is expensive most contractors choose to abate. The threat is mainly from breathing the fibers and unfortunately long term, but like so many affliction is not universal or inevitable.

My father, (now in his eighties), and I knocked out many gravity furnaces with hammer and bar but fortunately still kicking.

Your contractor is certainly culpable of bad judgment, if nothing
else.

http://www.inspectapedia.com/aircond/DuctAsbestos.htm

Anti-wingnut

Exactly correct