Should I Buy A House With Vermiculite Insulation
By patrick mccombe issue 268 july 2017 i m considering buying a house that has vermiculite insulation in the attic.
Should i buy a house with vermiculite insulation. This is not a project that should be done by a homeowner even a skilled and careful one. When in a sealed attic space it poses no health risks. Having vermiculite removed you may choose to ask the owner of the home to have the insulation removed before you purchase it. If you re a homeowner with vermiculite insulation in your attic there s a good chance that you have zonolite which means there is money available to help reimburse you for the costs to remove it and re insulate.
The epa says that vermiculite insulation which is the pebbly stuff found in attics of many older homes is only risky if it contains more than one percent asbestos. This article is a guide for all who are connected with the sale or purchase of a home that contains vermiculite insulation. You must have proof that a certified asbestos abatement contractor has done the work to remove the vermiculite. It is used for many purposes including.
It becomes dangerous if disturbed and particules are released into the air. I recommend looking into this. Unfortunately almost all vermiculite insulation contains asbestos and is unsafe when disturbed. That s good news because most zonolite a type of vermiculite insulation falls into that category.
The concerns about the dangers with vermiculite insulation in the uk stem from the fact that until the 1990s most vermiculite originated from a mine in america which also contained asbestos deposits. And the health risks weren t even discovered until 1990. According to health canada their advice is to leave it alone. Over 300 000 homes in canada have zonolite brand vermiculite attic insulation.
It was also used as insulation in toasters water heaters and as a. In fire retardants as a fertiliser in potting soil and in home insulation. Until then leave the material alone even if you had it tested and the test came back clean.