Freaked out! Asbestos found in my furnace room!!

[Anonymous]

Just had a home inspection done, & the inspector found some asbestos wrapped around one of my pipes. He didn't seem alarmed, but I called the asbestos people to come test today. They didn't sound overly alarmed either. I just recall seeing shows w/men in suits, & families having to evacuate the home. Am I over reacting? Has anyone else had asbestos in their house?

[Anonymous]

Yes, you are overreacting. If your inspector thinks something is not a big deal, it generally isn't. Asbestos is an insulating material and commonly used around furnaces into the 1970s. We found some on the pipes near our furnace during our home inspection and we had the sellers have it treated (usually it is not removed, just encapsulated so doesn't get into the air). That said, the house had been sold three times from the 1990s and 2005 and no one thought the asbestos was a serious enough issue to even bother addressing.

[Anonymous]

Probably 95% of homes that are older than 1980 have asbestos in them somewhere. It was used for lots of reasons back then (the most common being insulation and linoleum flooring glue. If you don't mess with it "disturb it" , it has no effect on you. Just don't sand the pipes or floor and you're ok. It's no big deal unless you start a big renovation.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks. This feedback makes me feel a LITTLE bit better. I guess I've been watching too much HGTV, where men in suites barracade the house and run the family out, & then, of course those scary lawyer commercials about asbestos exposure. Plus, my child is in the house. It is an undisturbed area. It's an enclosed space w/my furnace & other pipes. I never go in that room, unless I'm changing the filter, & that's probably way overdue. Still going to have it tested & removed. It's scary to think that it's in most homes, & people don't know about it.

[Anonymous]

Personally, I'd just suit up, plastic everything and remove it. One time exposure is not a big deal. Ongoing exposure (i.e. the guys removing it) is. Its fine. Its fine if you leave it. The issue is if the fibers get airborne. Undisturbed is no problem.

[Anonymous]

It's only dangerous if it's friable. Just cover it up and don't eat it.

[Anonymous]

You run a higher risk from removing it than leaving it be.

[Anonymous]

This is truly NO BIG DEAL. I have had a certain amount of asbestos in each 1930s home I lived in. Somebody will prey on your fears and make a whole lot on $$$. cover it up, and forget about it.

[Anonymous]

Op here. is it truly fear based? my concern is that it's in the same room as my AC and heating unit and the concern about getting fibers blown in the air

[Anonymous]

I would just wrap garbage bag around it and throw it out. You can spray water on it to make yourself feel better.

[Anonymous]

We remediated ours b/c we were doing a big renovation to the basement and it was a big production but not that big of a deal.

[Anonymous]

It's only a big deal if you disturb it and kick up particles and dust and then inhale it. If it's only one pipe, there isn't much chance of it being a big deal.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks everyone. Feeling a little better. It had become unravelled around the pipe, so waiting on the test results to see if the room is contaminated. Luckily, it's a small, enclosed space that we do not enter at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks everyone. Feeling a little better. It had become unravelled around the pipe, so waiting on the test results to see if the room is contaminated. Luckily, it's a small, enclosed space that we do not enter at all.

Of course the remediation company will say it's contaminated. You could crush up the whole piece and throw it in room and live in out without issue. The only people that were effected before the litigation lawyers jumped on the money train were a few genetically predisposed life time asbestos factory workers.

[Anonymous]

OP again. So, what do you all recommend I do? I want to remove it, but am afraid to do it myself. However, I don't think I should have to pay 2k-4k to have it removed. We're talking about a utility room that one person can barely fit in. Any companies that anyone could recommend?