Asbestos Materials Causing Mesothelioma

Asbestos was once the preferred material for building purposes, be it in the home or ships or elsewhere. It is a natural mineral that was mined in the US since the late 1800s. Owing to excellent fire retardant properties, asbestos was used for insulation, roofing, fireproofing, and soundproofing. Only much later was the link between asbestos and mesothelioma discovered, and the use of the material was banned in 1990.

Almost 200 years of use of asbestos cannot be simply wiped away, and  asbestos remains in our midst in many products dating back to the period when it was prolifically used. A list of products that may still have asbestos is attached though these products are restricted to older buildings and now considered obsolete.

 Asbestos materials list

• Cement Pipes
• Cement Wallboard
• Cement Siding
• Asphalt Floor Tile
• Vinyl Floor Tile
• Vinyl Sheet Flooring
• Flooring Backing
• Construction Mastics (floor, tile, carpet, ceiling tile, etc.)
• Acoustical Plaster
• Decorative Plaster
• Textured Paints/Coatings
• Ceiling Tiles and Lay-in Panels
• Spray-Applied Insulation
• Blown-in Insulation
• Fireproofing Materials
• Taping Compounds (thermal)
• Packing Materials (for wall/floor penetrations)
• High Temperature Gaskets
• Laboratory Hoods/Table Tops
• Laboratory Gloves
• Spackling Compounds
• Fire Blankets
• Fire Curtains
• Elevator Equipment Panels
• Elevator Brake Shoes
• HVAC Duct Insulation
• Boiler Insulation
• Breaching Insulation
• Ductwork Flexible Fabric Connections
• Cooling Towers
• Pipe Insulation (corrugated air-cell, block, etc.)
• Heating and Electrical Ducts
• Electrical Panel Partitions
• Electrical Cloth
• Electric Wiring Insulation
• Chalkboards
• Roofing Shingles
• Roofing Felt
• Base Flashing
• Thermal Paper Products
• Fire Doors
• Caulking/Putties
• Adhesives
• Wallboard
• Joint Compounds
• Vinyl Wall Coverings

Friable asbestos materials

When any product that contains asbestos crumbles easily when dry and can be powdered by hand, it is considered to be ‘Friable asbestos.’ When more than 1% asbestos is contained in a product and it has friable properties, the material is termed as Regulated Asbestos-Containing Material (RACM).

Presence of friable asbestos is generally detected in:

• Acoustic ceilings and tiles
• Many types of plasters
• Wallboard
• Joint compound or "mud"
• Thermal insulation used for water heaters and pipes

In spite of the ban on using the above-mentioned products, these continued to be used in construction for many years after 1978 because people did not simply throw away the products in the marketplace. Many homes used the banned products, and these have to be identified and demolished now.

Asbestos materials in buildings

The construction industry made ample use of asbestos between 1920 and 1986 owing to its properties of being strong, lightweight, resistant to chemical destruction, impervious to conduction of heat or electricity, and fireproof and fire-retardant. As a result, it was prolifically used in residential, commercial, and public buildings for insulation, roofing, fireproofing, and soundproofing. Bundles of fibers that make up asbestos were separated into threads and woven into cloth. In the shipbuilding industry, asbestos cloth found application in insulation around pipes and boilers.

Some specific applications of asbestos-containing construction materials include:

• Roofing materials: asphalt shingles, roofing felt, base flashing and roofing adhesives Exterior cement sidings: shingles, clapboard, and other cement products
• Acoustic plaster and finishers used in interiors
• Adhesives, caulk, putty, tape, and patching materials
• Pipes with asbestos tape
• Insulation products like loose or batt insulation used in walls, seal and duct coverings, pipe insulation, and electrical insulation
• Vinyl tiles (wall, floor and ceiling), and tile underlay

Identifying asbestos materials

While there is no doubt that asbestos contributed greatly to making our buildings better for living, the very same characteristics pose a severe health hazard after a number of decades of exposure to the material. Even a single asbestos fiber that is inhaled gestates in the lungs and causes irritation that leads to inflammation and eventually malignancy. So it is imperative that asbestos be identified and removed from buildings. But this is a difficult task as asbestos has no identifying feature to the naked eye.

As a result, it is generally safely assumed that buildings constructed between 1920 and 1986 are highly likely to have used asbestos in one form or the other. Any location that needed protection from heat and fire, such as below and surrounding fireplaces and furnaces, would be likely to have asbestos. It is advisable to send samples of material from these locations to a trained professional for testing. This will establish the presence or absence of asbestos-containing materials, and appropriate action can follow.

Disposal of asbestos materials

Once the presence of asbestos has been established, one would rush to have it removed from the premises and make it safe for human habitation. But what of the material that has been removed? That will continue to contaminate the area wherever it is. In this context, disposal of asbestos waste becomes critical. To address this issue, federal regulations have been put in place to tell us how to go about the disposal process to prevent further harm from the asbestos remnants.

To dispose off asbestos, it is mandatory to pack these in special 6 mil plastic bags. The bags must have "zip-lock" type fasteners, and these must further be sealed with duct tape. Alternatively, 55 gallon drums can be used that have been specially designed for this purpose, and these drums also have to be sealed properly with duct tape. Please access local and state regulations for the same before disposing asbestos-containing material.