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I was doing some reading up on ways to improve the energy efficiency of older houses, and there was a section on vermiculite insulation. There was a thread about this stuff not too long ago.
Not only does it contain cancer-causing asbestos (so you should hire a professional to deal with it if you're going to do anything that disturbs it), but I read it also can create a fire hazard in an old home.
Apparently, there was a time when people used to just pour this stuff down in between the walls from the attic, and if they did that on top of old wiring, it could be a serious fire hazard waiting to ignite. So in that case, you want to make sure you update your wiring as well.
I had never thought about all the implications of weather-proofing your home, but between cancer and fire, boy, you gotta make sure you do it right when it comes to insulation!
Just a heads up for anyone else considering doing this.
I was doing some reading up on ways to improve the energy efficiency of older houses, and there was a section on vermiculite insulation. There was a thread about this stuff not too long ago.
Not only does it contain cancer-causing asbestos (so you should hire a professional to deal with it if you're going to do anything that disturbs it), but I read it also can create a fire hazard in an old home.
Apparently, there was a time when people used to just pour this stuff down in between the walls from the attic, and if they did that on top of old wiring, it could be a serious fire hazard waiting to ignite. So in that case, you want to make sure you update your wiring as well.
I had never thought about all the implications of weather-proofing your home, but between cancer and fire, boy, you gotta make sure you do it right when it comes to insulation!
Just a heads up for anyone else considering doing this.
This is a great "heads up" for those of us in older homes!
70% of the worlds' Vermiculite was mined in Libby Montana a portion of which was contaminated with Tremolite which is a highly carcenogenic form of asbestos.
It was marketed by the WR Grace Co. under the the brand name Zonolite and was extensively used between the 50's-70's. Human Health Hazards -- Asbestos in Vermiculite Insulation
They just found this in my sisters' house and they had a rather extensive remediation done.......messy business!
I have a house built in 1955 and there is white, kinda fluffy insulation behind the walls. It is very white in color and feels soft like cotton candy, not itchy like fiberglass. I assuming it is original. Anyone know what this stuff is? Asbestos? Cotton?
I was doing some reading up on ways to improve the energy efficiency of older houses, and there was a section on vermiculite insulation. There was a thread about this stuff not too long ago.
Not only does it contain cancer-causing asbestos (so you should hire a professional to deal with it if you're going to do anything that disturbs it), but I read it also can create a fire hazard in an old home.
Apparently, there was a time when people used to just pour this stuff down in between the walls from the attic, and if they did that on top of old wiring, it could be a serious fire hazard waiting to ignite. So in that case, you want to make sure you update your wiring as well.
I had never thought about all the implications of weather-proofing your home, but between cancer and fire, boy, you gotta make sure you do it right when it comes to insulation!
Just a heads up for anyone else considering doing this.
Actually....to be accurate the vast majority of it doesn't have any asbestos.........its a mineral thats mined and the vast majority doesn't have any asbestos......there was some small amounts found in a few isolated cases but the amount was so small it was hard to even measure.
"Although not all vermiculite contains asbestos, some products were made with vermiculite that contained asbestos until the early 1990s. Vermiculite mines throughout the world are now regularly tested for it and are supposed to sell products that contain no asbestos. The former vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana did have tremolite asbestos as well at winchite and richterite (both fibrous amphiboles) — in fact, it was formed underground through essentially the same geologic processes as the contaminates .... The largest and oldest vermiculite mine in the United States was started in the 1920s, at Libby, Montana, and the vermiculite was sold under the commercial name Zonolite. The Zonolite brand and the mine was acquired by the W.R. Grace Company in 1963. Mining operations at the Libby site stopped in 1990 in response to asbestos contamination. While in operation, the Libby mine may have produced 80% of the world's supply of vermiculite."
While it's true that not all vermiculite contains asbestos, it seems that best estimates are that 80% of the vermiculite produced in the USA did, in fact, contain asbestos.
That said, the asbestos is the cancer-causing part; the fire hazard part, in relation to old homes with old knob and tube wiring, is the other half of the story.
Actually....to be accurate the vast majority of it doesn't have any asbestos.........its a mineral thats mined and the vast majority doesn't have any asbestos......there was some small amounts found in a few isolated cases but the amount was so small it was hard to even measure.
And you are right......the majority of Vermiculite does not contain asbestos, however, NIOSH takes this stuff pretty seriously- NIOSH Topic : Vermiculite Exposure
I wouldn't mess with it and my sisters' home owners insurance paid a Haz/Mat team to have hers removed, assuming it did contain asbestos.
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