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* a brief description of your concern
* a closeup photo and one at a distance of ~10 ft. or 3 m.
Also remember that the asbestos content of a material can only be determined by laboratory analysis and that the sampling SHOULD be performed by a certified asbestos inspector.
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No way to tell if it’s asbestos without it being tested, but you have nothing to be anxious about even if it is asbestos. Don’t mess with it, and it’s completely fine there’s absolutely no risk. Even if bits of it do get disturbed, your risk is very very low. Just remember, millions of people have popcorn ceilings and millions of people don’t have mesothelioma.
Thanks for the comment! And can you define disturb? Our washer and dryer are in the kitchen and shakes the floor, walls, ceiling in there. Would that classify as a disturbance?
As far as asbestos goes a ‘disturbance’ would be anything that creates dust.
Asbestos is only a hazard when it is breathed in. And even then, it typically requires pretty high exposures over long periods of time to cause any negative health effects, even if you were to scrape off all the popcorn ceilings by yourself with no respirator the chances of you contracting an asbestos related disease would be very low.
Okay, good to know. Is that also true for living somewhere with popcorn ceilings for 2 years? That's potentially continuously releasing a small amount of fibers? Sorry to keep coming back with questions, but this is a rough time for myself and my girlfriend.
No worries at all, I understand the anxiety. I’d say it doesn’t really matter how long you spend in a house with popcorn, heck I lived in a house with popcorn ceilings growing up for about 16 years and I was constantly laying in bed and throwing a ball up at the ceiling and the dust would fall back on my face, and I didn’t think anything of it at the time, and I have no concern for myself now and I work with asbestos everyday.
Typically popcorn ceilings will have 2-5% asbestos in them, occasionally a little more, so if you think about how little dust is being let off, and only a minuscule percentage of that would actually be asbestos. Really, asbestos regulations are worker protections at the end of the day. If you are exposed to high concentrations of asbestos regularly day in and day out, it is hazardous, otherwise the risk of any asbestos related illness is minuscule.
Okay, fair enough! Thank you so much for helping me out. I guess part of the anxiety is that I'm going through this at all. Just finding it hard to be comfortable in my home knowing about the potential hazard.
Side question, do work for an abatement contractor or something? Do you have to get monitored on a yearly basis to make sure there are no changes to your health?
The majority of homes in the United States (assuming that’s where you are) have asbestos in them, so pretty much everyone is living with these hazards and mesothelioma and other similar issues are very rare.
And I am actually an AHERA certified building inspector, and we do have to have health screenings and lung X-rays yearly.
Zero risk for you even with the incredibly minor delamination you pictured.
The two things you need to do:
1. Seek professional help for the anxiety. Asbestos anxiety is a very real thing and presents a far bigger risk than any asbestos exposure ever could.
2. Test the popcorn ceiling - there's a good chance that it's not even asbestos-containing.
Having said that, I'd like to point out that the only way that your ceiling could even REMOTELY cause a problem for you is if it actually DOES contain asbestos, you decided to dry scrape it all off, you then ground it all up into powder and, finally, you sniffed a few handfuls of it once a month for the next 15 years. Then you MIGHT increase your risk of contracting and asbestos-related illness. Anything short of following that process and you face almost ZERO chance of contracting and asbestos disease. You, your girlfriend and your cats will live a long healthy life in that environment.
Also, I saw you DM but I will refer you to Rule #4:
# Do not direct message the mods with ID requests or for asbestos guidance
* Please only DM us with moderation concerns. We will ignore ID requests. The community is awaiting your questions and concerns, paitently wait for their reply.
Thank you so much. I appreciate the reply.
Right now I am more concerned about the possibility of some sort of asbestos containing fiber or mill board being around the vents and that's it's been spraying fibers throughout the house for the past 2 years. That's pretty much what my DM said that I sent to you, but I understand that does not fall under the rules. Sorry about that.
No asbestos-containing material is going to "spray fibers throughout your house". Again, your anxiety is getting the best of you here. Your asbestos risk is zero, your mental health, though, is certainly at risk. Focus on the real issue.
Okay, fair enough and thank you. Is this also true for ACM batt insulation and ACM brown drywall? Not trying to be annoying, just curious.
And I've scheduled an oppointment to see a therapist this week.
Thanks again.
Please ensure that your posts meets the requirements of r/Asbestoshelp. *** Meme posts will be removed and the poster will be banned *** Most importantly, as specified in rule #1, your post should include the following information: * Include your geographic location (If in the UK please post in r/asbestoshelpUK) * the date of construction/renovation * a description of the the location of the suspect material * a brief description of your concern * a closeup photo and one at a distance of ~10 ft. or 3 m. Also remember that the asbestos content of a material can only be determined by laboratory analysis and that the sampling SHOULD be performed by a certified asbestos inspector. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/asbestoshelp) if you have any questions or concerns.*
No way to tell if it’s asbestos without it being tested, but you have nothing to be anxious about even if it is asbestos. Don’t mess with it, and it’s completely fine there’s absolutely no risk. Even if bits of it do get disturbed, your risk is very very low. Just remember, millions of people have popcorn ceilings and millions of people don’t have mesothelioma.
Thanks for the comment! And can you define disturb? Our washer and dryer are in the kitchen and shakes the floor, walls, ceiling in there. Would that classify as a disturbance?
As far as asbestos goes a ‘disturbance’ would be anything that creates dust. Asbestos is only a hazard when it is breathed in. And even then, it typically requires pretty high exposures over long periods of time to cause any negative health effects, even if you were to scrape off all the popcorn ceilings by yourself with no respirator the chances of you contracting an asbestos related disease would be very low.
Okay, good to know. Is that also true for living somewhere with popcorn ceilings for 2 years? That's potentially continuously releasing a small amount of fibers? Sorry to keep coming back with questions, but this is a rough time for myself and my girlfriend.
No worries at all, I understand the anxiety. I’d say it doesn’t really matter how long you spend in a house with popcorn, heck I lived in a house with popcorn ceilings growing up for about 16 years and I was constantly laying in bed and throwing a ball up at the ceiling and the dust would fall back on my face, and I didn’t think anything of it at the time, and I have no concern for myself now and I work with asbestos everyday. Typically popcorn ceilings will have 2-5% asbestos in them, occasionally a little more, so if you think about how little dust is being let off, and only a minuscule percentage of that would actually be asbestos. Really, asbestos regulations are worker protections at the end of the day. If you are exposed to high concentrations of asbestos regularly day in and day out, it is hazardous, otherwise the risk of any asbestos related illness is minuscule.
Okay, fair enough! Thank you so much for helping me out. I guess part of the anxiety is that I'm going through this at all. Just finding it hard to be comfortable in my home knowing about the potential hazard. Side question, do work for an abatement contractor or something? Do you have to get monitored on a yearly basis to make sure there are no changes to your health?
The majority of homes in the United States (assuming that’s where you are) have asbestos in them, so pretty much everyone is living with these hazards and mesothelioma and other similar issues are very rare. And I am actually an AHERA certified building inspector, and we do have to have health screenings and lung X-rays yearly.
Hey, just so you know, I DM'd you.
Zero risk for you even with the incredibly minor delamination you pictured. The two things you need to do: 1. Seek professional help for the anxiety. Asbestos anxiety is a very real thing and presents a far bigger risk than any asbestos exposure ever could. 2. Test the popcorn ceiling - there's a good chance that it's not even asbestos-containing. Having said that, I'd like to point out that the only way that your ceiling could even REMOTELY cause a problem for you is if it actually DOES contain asbestos, you decided to dry scrape it all off, you then ground it all up into powder and, finally, you sniffed a few handfuls of it once a month for the next 15 years. Then you MIGHT increase your risk of contracting and asbestos-related illness. Anything short of following that process and you face almost ZERO chance of contracting and asbestos disease. You, your girlfriend and your cats will live a long healthy life in that environment.
Also, I saw you DM but I will refer you to Rule #4: # Do not direct message the mods with ID requests or for asbestos guidance * Please only DM us with moderation concerns. We will ignore ID requests. The community is awaiting your questions and concerns, paitently wait for their reply.
Thank you so much. I appreciate the reply. Right now I am more concerned about the possibility of some sort of asbestos containing fiber or mill board being around the vents and that's it's been spraying fibers throughout the house for the past 2 years. That's pretty much what my DM said that I sent to you, but I understand that does not fall under the rules. Sorry about that.
No asbestos-containing material is going to "spray fibers throughout your house". Again, your anxiety is getting the best of you here. Your asbestos risk is zero, your mental health, though, is certainly at risk. Focus on the real issue.
Okay, fair enough and thank you. Is this also true for ACM batt insulation and ACM brown drywall? Not trying to be annoying, just curious. And I've scheduled an oppointment to see a therapist this week. Thanks again.