Asbestos Found in Acoustical Plaster

Homeowners, school districts, office building or workplace management, and communities with libraries, theaters, and retail spaces are concerned about the presence of asbestos in acoustic plaster. Any of these buildings built before the asbestos ban in 1978 are highly likely to have acoustic plaster or acoustic finishes. And as we know today, acoustic plaster contains asbestos, a toxic mineral that causes lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis.

Asbestos Exposure from Acoustical Plaster

Homes built in the late 1950s and after that often opted for the ‘popcorn’ ceiling. This was a type of finish that covered defects of poor workmanship in a ceiling by giving it a cottage cheese-look. Not only did it improve the look but the finish came cheap and was easy to install; both factors led to its great popularity. Later owners did not like this dated look and want to have it removed.

Acoustical Plaster Containing Asbestos Fibers

Since acoustical plaster was composed of asbestos as a binding material, it fell in the category of banned products when it was conclusively established that asbestos causes malignancy due to inhalation of its minute, air-borne particles. In fact, homes were still being adorned with an acoustic finish as late as the 1980s.

The removal of construction material such as acoustic plaster or a popcorn ceiling that contains asbestos has to be performed with great care, and by professionals adept at the task preferably. When asbestos is disturbed, its friable nature releases tiny fibers of asbestos into the air. These are not seen by the naked eye and simply breathed in by humans and pets. Even a single fiber that lodges itself inside the body is enough to set into motion a process that leads to a disease called mesothelioma (a fatal cancer), and also asbestosis, lung cancer, and other serious maladies.

Those engaged in installation or removal of acoustical plaster are most at risk from the infection. Drywall installers, painters, laborers, and construction specialists who have spent years in the profession are most often diagnosed with the diseases after many, many years of gestation that is typical of the malady. Once manifested, the disease has no cure and the patient succumbs within 24 months.

EPA has laid down conditions and processes under which it is safe to remove asbestos containing material such as acoustical plaster. Using the right gear such as breathing masks, disposable overalls, dousing material to be removed with water, and disposal of removed material are some prescribed methods to protect people from asbestos infection.