Is this asbestos wrap on HVAC vents?

mdweiss

Finished demo on my master bath and thought this looked funny, built in 1968, all actual attic duct work is not positive for asbestos but these duct to vent transitions in the walls caught my eye.


Thanks in advance!

gregzoll

Yep. Get a spray bottle, drop in a couple of drops of dish soap, soak that paper down really good, then using plastic gloves, and wearing a mask, scrape the loose material off into a trash bag, then bag that trash bag into another, and toss into your garbage can.

There is not enough removal of material there, that you have not got a lot to worry about in the way of an environment hazard. Now of course if you want to, you can use the Rubber in the can that you see advertised on tv, and spray the heck out of that to seal it from coming loose, but that is the most expensive solution.

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mdweiss

10-4 I figured it was, any worry about it being on the inside of all the vents in the whole house, fresh air is being blown past this and into the house, or is it safe if not touched.

gregzoll

You are not going to instantaneously pass away or have lung problems from what is there. There is other stuff besides the fibers from the dust of that paper, that gets passed through the duct work. You need to remove all that you can, due to if you go to sell, and there is still Asbestos paper on the vents, it can make for a hard sell, and you can get stuck with the bill for cleanup.

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scottktmrider

When you remove it just hold your breath, thats what what they told me when i first got into the trade.

jagans

Yes that is asbestos. I dont think a drop of dish soap is enough of a wetting agent. 1-4 glycol and water was recommended to my by people who know. You need a HEPA vac, and you need to shut down all air blowing around in your home and get this crap outa there. This is friable. wear a hepa mask gloves and paper disposable suit. Wet it down good and keep it wet. Double bag it and tape both bags with duct tape.

The photo below is taken through a scanning electron microscope. Do not play games with this stuff. If it gets into your lungs you cannot expel it.

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jagans

Hey Scott, are the guys that told you that still around? Or are they like the Mullahs that get the Muslim kids to blow themselves up with the promise of 72 Virgins?

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wrongdave

Wow, you have the coolest tools!

Maintenance 6

As far as I know, there are no laws preventing a homeowner from doing his own asbestos abatement. That said, there are some things to consider. Any loose friable fibers that you've missed can continue to become airborne long after you've gotten rid of the source. They'll tend to settle out and then get re-entrained in the air as soon as they are disturbed. That is until you inhale them. Then you become the filter. You're call on taking that risk. The other thing is that while no-one can stop you from abating the stuff in your home, there are very specific laws on transportation and disposal, regardless of who abates it. If it's discovered in the back of your pick-up or in the municipal waste stream and is tracable to you, expect a hefty fine (typically $thousands$)and in some states a prison sentence........... just sayin'.

Maintenance 6

Here is a better picture. Notice the little fishhook barbs along the shafts of the fibers. These are what make asbestos dangerous. The barbs prevent you from expelling any inhaled fibers, so they stay lodged in the lungs. The human body cannot disolve asbestos, so it remains forever acting as an irritant, causing a thickening of the lung walls (asbestosis) or causing lung cancer. In the worst cases causing mesothelioma which is rare, but 100% fatal.

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