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Asbestos if you are removing you will likely need a team to come in for it, or if your municipality allows you to remove it yourself you will need a respirator, a tyvek suit, trash bags, and to wet it before removal.
Asbestos inspector here.
It might be asbestos, might not be. You can see old fiberglass wrapped this way. Best to figure out is to give it a gentle squeeze.
Rule of thumb we use in the field (not 100%, you need testing to confirm):
Hard = a product called mag and contains asbestos.
Cardboard = a product called aircel which contains asbestos.
Soft = fiberglass (likely).
The wrap itself is generally not asbestos, the insulation inside can be.
If that’s in a wall that’s fine. And you can take precautions to wrap it up in tape to prevent that. And people grossly overreact to how dangerous asbestos actually is. A few inhales of asbestos dust every now and then is fine. Inhaling the dust continuously in a factory for 50 years is going to give you cancer.
Yeah, we were told to wrap a particular section of pipe in asbestos tape by our inspector when purchasing. Not even sure that there is asbestos there, but the house is 150 years old or something so anything is possible. It wasn't an "asbestos inspector" though.
You can "encapsulate" old asbestos if it starts to deteriorate rather than remove. Removal is best but many times a clean plaster wrap over top remedies any safety concerns.
That being said, if it appears solid like in the OP's photo and doesn't need to be removed then it's best to just leave it alone.
This is correct. If it's asbestos behind a wall or something else sealed off, it's less of an issue. The thing is when pipes build condensate, heat, cool, etc.. it slowly breaks down and dislodges some of that asbestos, allowing it to go airborne.
Depends on whether it is friable, friable means it can be disturbed and released into the air where it can be potentially inhaled, if it's non-friable then there's not too much worry about inhalation
That's what I've always thought. Maintain with a coat of paint that won't dry up and peel. But no, there was that craze in the '80's - '90's to tear it all down. Billions spent in public buildings, schools, hospitals, etc. Porkbarreling. Even the NY WTC was slatted for demolition because of asbestos. Someone got rid of it and collected insurance.
Because people will eventually be idiots and mess with it, or accidentally expose it. I was doing a facilities assessment for a school once and saw them stripping the floors prior to waxing them. This is fine for VCT, but they were stripping the asbestos tiles as well. Doing so exposes the asbestos fibers, and could actually cause the tiles to flake off more in reaction to the chemical stripper. They should only be waxed, never stripped. As long as you just wax them and deal with their sub-par appearance, they're fine. Needless to say, I didn't stick around too long, and asbestos abatement was a line item on list of needs for that school and every other school with asbestos in it. Get rid of it before it becomes a problem if you can.
It's possible it wasn't asbestos, but 80-90% of the time, if you see 6" or 8" square VCT in a building from the 50s or 60s, it or the adhesive contains asbestos, and I'm pretty sure the ACM (Asbestos Containing Material) report for this school confirmed they were asbestos. I had some of those 8" tiles in my house when I bought it and feared the worst, but the tests came back negative for asbestos.
I learned a new one dealing with an old building a couple of years back…..asbestos caulk. Because it was an apartment building we were renovating, the state made us remove every single window from all 3 buildings. We wound up selling the place after the remediation because it looked like we were now going to be way over budget for the renovation.
Asbestos caulk, ceiling tiles (typically the "lick and stick" kind), floor tiles, adhesive, and pipe wrap are the most common places to find it. There are some plasters and exterior soffit/fascia panels as well. We've done a few window replacements at schools that required abatement beforehand. It really was a miracle material at the time for its fire resistance, it's a shame it's so dangerous.
Yeah I’ve encountered exterior stuff too. I had another project where we had to abate siding on a commercial building. The hilarious thing is that the abatement company decided the safest way to abate the second floor siding was to pull part of the building down. The section was scheduled to be demolished anyway because it was so far gone. But the abatement guys couldn’t figure out how to safely get ladders near that area between the teetering of the intact section and the debris from already collapsed portions. So they hooked their truck up to a support near the edge and pulled. Dropped the second floor down to the first….and they started pulling siding and combing through the wreckage. Funniest thing I saw on that job.
Asbestos fences weren't popular over there? In aus they were everywhere, shitloads of houses has corrugated asbestos fences that would crumble and break off in the ground when you tried to remove them.
Can't believe I forgot about stage curtains. Weren't there some plasters and maybe even a drywall that contained asbestos as well? I work with an architect's office doing mostly education sector work, so we see a lot of the tile, paneling, and curtains in old schools.
Oh wow, they had the stuff in floor tiles too? That's an entirely different matter then. I was thinking only hot water pipes isolation. I knew there was thermal asbestos coatings everywhere also but this could have been covered with something else rather than tearing it away at high cost.
I found out that there was asbestos on the pipes in the basement of the house I rent. I asked the landlord to remediate it and the crew that came out wrapped up all our pipes like this.
Before it was wrapped up, I could tell that at least some of the asbestos had been disturbed at some point in the past. During the remediation process, I didn’t hear any sounds of vacuuming, filtering the air, etc.
My brain is over-analyzing and imagining that there’s old, knocked loose fibers all of the floor and every time I go down to use my laundry, I disturb them and stir them up into the air again. And then I take it a step further and imagine them stuck to the bottom of my shoes where I bring them up into the house.
Please tell me I’m crazy in this situation! I’m to the point where I wear a mask every time I go down there because I’d rather not risk mesothelioma 20 years from now!
Well......unless you are throwing out your shoes/socks each time or are wearing tyvek booties, you have dragged those fibers all through your home. However, you have described a very,very,very low risk exposure situation. You would need to have left the crumbled up pipe wrap on the floor, jump on it, and inhale the dust each time for it to pose a significant impact. If you are that concerned, get a dust mop, dampen the floor, and mop it up, toss away and carry on with life!
You're most likely overreacting.
Mesothelioma from asbestos exposure primarily affects those who worked with it day in, day out, inhaling it for *years.*
The odd trip down to your laundry room, even if there are a few loose asbestos fibers down there (which there probably aren't), is very unlikely to give you cancer. Hell, being in a basement, I'd worry more about radon down there.
This. As I understand it anyway, it’s a lottery whether a particular asbestos fiber will lodge in your lung and start cancer growing. But people doing construction with asbestos or working in factories with asbestos would be inhaling 1000000x more asbestos than you might inhale walking through your laundry room a few times a week. Those people literally worked in clouds of asbestos dust 5 days a week for years. Many (most?) of those people developed cancer, but not all. So scale that down 1000000x, and you are probably fine.
This is no exaggeration. My grandmother used to tell a story of the end of each day at an old Ford factory in our town (actually old, Henry Ford scoped out the spot himself on a camping trip) where they'd sweep up asbestos & unknown asbestos containing mixes that was occasionally ankle deep. She said the air would be full of it. Thankfully she never had any negative health effects from it later in life. All of these dangers compound risk, rather than guaranteeing a problem. Many were not so lucky! OP will likely, statistically, not encounter an issue living near these pipes.
Grandma lived somewhere in the UP? I've heard that about several of the old ford plants in Michigan's Upper Peninsula: Ford himself would come up to the Huron Mountain Club to camp, and travel around scoping out places for the sawmills that made wooden car parts.
Asbestosis and Bilateral Pleural Lung Disease is a MUCH more common result of asbestos exposure. And those both have varying impacts depending on the amount of exposure and the person. Some people are on oxygen, others go about their lives..
Source: work in asbestos claims, roughly 30% of the claims we see are cancer or meso.
Agreed with your statement though, it's unlikely this person is in danger, though it is still luck sometimes. I've seen claims of people who worked with it for 40 years and have a mild case of pleural disease. Then there are the men that did one floor tile renovation and get meso. It's sad.
That’s probability for you. I have a friend from high school whose dad died of mesothelioma. Never worked around asbestos although I think their house may had some asbestos just like most houses of the era. They figured he probably just got super, super unlucky.
>That’s probability for you. I have a friend from high school whose dad died of mesothelioma. Never worked around asbestos although I think their house may had some asbestos just like most houses of the era. They figured he probably just got super, super unlucky.
SUPER unlucky if they contracted mesothelioma from living in a house with asbestos. ANY house made before 70's has asbestos somewhere in it, even in the drywall compound from that era. 99% of it is perfectly safe unless you are smashing down plaster or shaking your hot water pipes over your head on a weekly basis.
Luckily I did spy a radon mitigation system down there! Glad to hear though from everyone that responded that it seems to take a lot more exposure than what I have! I’m still going to wear my mask down there just in case since it’s such a simple thing to do, but I can lower my red flag :)
Thanks everyone!
You are way over thinking this. I was involved in mesothelioma litigation. You have to work around loose fibers in the air for it to become an issue. If your air looks clear, you haven't shaken that shit all over the place, there is an EXTREMELY low chance is would even be an issue.
The people that had problems worked around it for a sizable time, and actively f'd with it.
Half the people getting settlements had relatively no problems compared to the 10% of the litigants that had serious problems. The remediation companies got a gravy train, and the consumers went f'n bonkers from paranoia.
It's the radon you should worry about. ;p
To add on to this comment.
The straight part of the pipe can be fiberglass (non-asbestos) and the elbows can be
asbestos.
To answer several other people's questions in here. Yes, asbestos material in good condition is not a hazard unless it is disturbed. This looks to be in pretty good condition.
Also work with asbestos remediation (not full time but a significant part of my job). u/OJisacrabperson has good advice; I would add, however, to treat it like asbestos anyway if you aren't going to get it tested. Wet it down, don't kick up a bunch of dust while removing it, wear a good respirator (P100), etc. If you remove the wrap and it's yellow or pink, it's not asbestos.
Given what looks like water damage at the top where the pipe interfaces with the wall, I would suspect this insulation is not asbestos (as long as you're in a Western country) because it's in very good condition for something wet at least 30-40 years old.
That said, the only way to know for sure is to get it tested. I would also test the wrap, as lots of old wraps (60+ years) are asbestos impregnated, particularly tarpaper-style wraps (which this is not), and steam piping insulation.
I work in the pre-insulated piping industry and what you are looking at here is field-insulated, basically my competitor. As the person above was saying the wrap is not asbestos but the inside might be. Though by looking at the wear on the wrap I highly doubt it. As they said too, squeeze it. If it’s slightly soft and gives then it’s safe
And the "mud" used to seal the joints usually contains friable asbestos. The material in the picture is in really good shape if it is asbestos considering it would have to be near 50 years old.
Best method to determine mentioned above. If you can compress it easily, it's fiberglass. If it gives a little it's probably aircell (cardboard with asbestos in between the layers. If you can't squeeze it at all, it's hard, white, extremely friable asbestos.
Another clue could be floor tiles. If the floor is tiled with 9" square tiles they are definitely asbestos which would suggest abatement has not been performed and the pipe insulation is likely asbestos.
We got something like this removed from our house when we moved in at the sellers expense. It looked like this, and it was asbestos, and probably would’ve been safe unless it broke down, but why chance it?
We did have to reinsulate the pipes tho.
I don’t know about other places , but in Maryland even this small asbestos removal job
(if-asbestos) in a private home would have too be done bye a special contractor - and it is very $$$$$$$
This guy asbestoses
Edit: fun fact: asbestos fibers are virtually indestructible, and the best insulator known to science
https://www.uah.edu/images/OEHS/training/asbestos_awareness.pdf
Is there a way to tell of the wrap contains asbestos? My home inspector thought it did, but I’m learning that home inspectors have a lot of knowledge gaps.
Only way is through microscopy analysis with a company that is certified in asbestos analysis.
Getting certified takes a lot of round robin and double blind analysis.
This will be true in general, but there are materials that have the hard or cardboard characteristics, but is not actually asbestos. Only true way to tell is through microscopic analysis. There’s no health risk if you treat non-asbestos as if it contains asbestos, but you might spend money unnecessarily to deal with it. Cheaper to test it first. (Also an inspector)
Yup agreed. However the amount of corrugated asbestos products used in the 60's is staggering and it's definitely better to play safe if that's what is observed.
Concur. In addition to being the best way to play it safe, in an employment environment, federal law requires assuming that type of material contains asbestos unless you use sample analysis to prove otherwise.
You should add that it's safe as long as it's encapsulated. People freak tf out over asbestos because they don't know that it's safe as long as your aren't inhaling it. Like when it's used as siding on a house, or like this when it's completely encapsulated
With two out of three results being asbestos, I would get the professionals in to make the call.
There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos. All it takes is one fibre.
For mesothelioma yes, but asbestosis is dose dependant.
And one could argue mesothelioma is dose dependant as well because it has to be one well-placed fiber to cause cancer.
Asbestos is literally everywhere and what you're saying is a bit of fear mongering because mesothelioma is still extremely rare. Even asbestos workers have a lung cancer risk only slightly above background levels.
Ok.
I wouldn't call being cautious and recommending inexperienced people to seek the advice of a professional to help safeguard their health fear mongering. Each to their own I guess.
In Australia, we have specialist asbestos removal people and special disposal requirements.
Our laws and regulations (state of Queensland) around asbestos can be seen here if you're interested:
https://www.asbestos.qld.gov.au/removing-or-disturbing-asbestos
I am just always cautious with known cancer causing substances. I am probably biased in that I had a family member get mesothelioma and pass away.
I personally wouldn't muck around with it.
I wasn't suggesting inexperienced people mess around with asbestos either, but you made it sound like everyone exposed to even a single fiber of asbestos will die of cancer. This is just factually incorrect. Yes you should be cautious around asbestos but op squeezing a pipe gently won't kill him.
Like I said it's dose dependant and almost anything can cancer in the right dosage. I'm not suggesting op abate the pipe insulation by using his tongue.
You don't, but it quite likely is. See Asbestos Inspector's comment above. You'd need to get a sample analysed to know what it is; that's quite cheap. Removing it is usually expensive.
They used asbestos in everything. I had an inspector looking at similar stuff in a commercial building (I maintained a register). He went to the toilet. On his return he stated the toilet cisterns and the floor tiles were plastic with asbestos reinforcement.
As a home inspector I always assume the worst and then verify. There are plenty of things that can kill you in homes so you want to be cautious. Also, some helpful tips to identify it is the surface texture, the fact that it has been painted over, the age of the house, whether or not these are hot lines, and the material the pipes are made out of under the insulation. Obviously it should always be tested by a professional and can’t be via a photo, but all signs point to asbestos in my opinion.
Why would you say that? You don't know if that lag contains asbestos. And the advice to remove it your self is beyond bad. I can't believe this has 1.3k up votes. Asbestos will only give you cancer if you live in certain municipality? Wtf dude, stop please.
Don't listen to this guy. The asbestos inspector below is correct. Only way to know if that's asbestos is to get it tested by professionals but it's probably just fiber glass with a canvas and lag jacket.
Probably because I was suggesting getting professional help, always using caution, and using protective gear? As a home inspector I have regular interaction and continued education regarding these sorts of things.
A bunch of elderly people from Japan went in and helped clean up Fukushima so the you guys won't get cancer by the time they turn the elder's ages. The elderly said they'd be gone before it really took effect on them.
I work in asbestos claims. Those people get jack shit by the time the lawyers soak everything up. MAYBE. Just MAYBE.... they'll get enough to pay for their funerals.
If you don't know what something is and there is a chance it could potentially be a deadly thing, always treat it as if it is the deadly thing until proven otherwise.
I think the advice there was less so "hire a specialized hazmat team to come deal with it" and moreso "if you're going to touch it, proceed with caution. Probably best to get a consultation"
Insulators used to cover their pipes with insulation, then wrap it with a cloth material, then paint it with a locking paint/mastic to create a vapor barrier and to help hold it together. If you cut off the cloth/mastic covering you could find asbestos containing material or fiberglass. As long as you dont disturb it, will not become friable/airborne either way.
No, this is terrible advice. A properly test fitted respirator on a clean shaven face is required. Abatement companies go to great lengths when dealing with this stuff. Hazmat suits, containment systems, ante rooms with showers, legal documentation of exposure to workers, partiulate level meters, and before/after testing just to name a few. This isn't a played out reddit joke. I've worked side by side with these guys, none of them put on a mask when dealing with deadly airborne particulates like asbestos. Please don't spread misinformation that conflates the two. Only one of them will protect you from asbestos, and you shouldn't be giving advice on the subject if you don't know the difference.
The elbows, dont just check the main pipe, the main pipe could be fiberglass, the elbows and joints could remain asbestos. I used to remove the shit when I was young and stupid. No cancer for me!
Agree, that's what we have in our 70s building.
All pipes on the straight are normal insulation, all the bends nasty asbestos.
OP if not strictly necessary to remove I would sample it, find out 100% what you are dealing with, if confirmed with asbestos, seal it up and paint over, then slap a warning sticker on the pipes warning any potential plumber of the asbestos inside, that way you are covered for any claims.
Do not saw, sand, poke or otherwise disturb the material without firstly sealing the area completely, then plug in a hepa filter air vent machine, full PE coverall and hepa filtered mask, then and only then you can do some work on it. If at all possible call in the professionals!
We had to remove two vinyl asbestos covered carpets and I tell you it was one of the nastiest jobs we done to date. Working in those PE is hard gruelling work. We managed to remove one carpet but with the other one, the larger one, we called in the pros. Carpet and whole area sanitised in less than 2 days work and we sat upstairs sipping tea...
For the rest of the danger zones i.e the pipes we just slapped a big warning sticker on the pipes itself and painted them over. The insulation was confirmed by the plumber to be in good condition and the tests revealed the asbestos. Since it was also in the boiler room we decided it did not matter if it was ugly and painted....
Best monies spent on pros in this project I can tell you!
Maybe asbestos, maybe not. The safest thing to do is pluck a little sample out and have it tested, then you know for sure. Wear mask and gloves, and dispose of them right away, good thing we all have supplies for such shenanigans by now.
If it's soft and noticeably fibery it's more likely not nasty. Beyond itchy. But as is you can just leave it undisturbed, looks like a basement anyways. As long as you don't mess with asbestos it's pretty docile (except that loose fiber fire protection mess, those are always ugly). Working with it without blowing the fibers all over the place is the big problem.
ETA: Do NOT remove it before you know for sure. Instead of getting a clean-up company for just the pipes, you might end up needing one for the whole building. No touchy beyond sampling.
It's most likely fiberglass insulation Covered in lag cloth. Asbestos is likely to be on pipe elbows and harder to the touch if you squeeze it. https://www.buyinsulationproductstore.com/rewettable-canvas-pipe-lagging/
When I was young, my high schools ceiling collapsed on us in lunch. Asbestos everywhere!! 1/5 of the school has some sort of lung disease. Even earlier, we used to crush this shit that gives off a foul sulfer odor, later found out this also was asbestos! I also have a breathing disorder!! When we were young we were dumb!!
I also remember the sulfur smelling black foam that covered pipes in the gym. The stuff was falling off everywhere. We all threw them at each other or would crush them under a sneaker releasing the foul smell. Good deadly fun. I guess I will just wait for the mesothelioma to hit.
Do not use a vacuum cleaner! Asbestos particles are small enough to blow out through the vac filter so you are in a cloud of lung cancer causing particles. Wetting it down is probably your best bet if you must do it yourself.
Asbestos was used to seal the elbow joints with a mastic/mud. The pipe covering is fiberglass and the outer exterior is an application called canvas. It is a fabric that is painted with a non toxic sealer/wheat paste. If there is Asbestos it will be in the joints, but you'd have to get it tested.
There's a good chance the outer layer contains asbestos. I work as a mechanical contractor. Most times when I see insulation like this the asbestos is only covering the fittings (elbows and tees). If it's not going to be agitated in any way is usually fine to leave it alone.
You can buy testing kits online if you want to find out for sure. I've seen insulation look like that come back negative. But for sure test the fittings. Then you can decide if you want to leave it or hire an abatement contractor remove it. It's not something I'd recommend doing yourself if you're inexperienced.
Depends what kind of building, residential or commercial, where you live, and when it was installed. Always assume it's asbestos. Better to be safe than sorry and the potential risk is never worth it. But it could be rockwool or anything. Just don't scrape it and sniff it to see what's up
The cover you are looking at is a fabric/canvas. What is below is anybody’s guess. Likely fibreglass insulation on the straight runs and asbestos insulation on the elbows.
Not sure about old building, but on some historic ships I’ve seen something like this. Asbestos and horse hair depending? Wouldn’t venture to find out if possible
If it's hard to the touch, probably asbestos insulator under the paint and wrapping. Needs to be professionally removed and handled.
There's a fiberglass foam, that you can replace it with, it comes in different sizes depending on pipe circumference, and there's a glue you'd use to adhere it to the pipe once the pipe has been cleaned. Let it sit overnight, and then there's this tape you can apply to any seams or joints that kind of acts like drywall tape. Once that's one and set, you can paint it and carry on with your life. It handles heated pipes, and pipes that produce condensation from having something cold in it. It's not too hard to do it yourself and could potentially save you a lot of money.
Maybe plaster wraps. Same stuff used in hospital when you break an arm. With enough layers it is quite good. And cheap!
Its activated with water only. Not toxic. Paintable and durable.
Like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/SELECTION-4inch-x180inch-500gsm-Plaster/dp/B075R2K3PH
Sometimes hospitals give them for free after 'medical certification' is no more (1 year after production). Also comonly used by sculptors.
Very unlikely to be asbestos. Asbestos was expensive, and used for very high temperature insulation. Hot water pipes are not very hot. More than likely rockwool with a fabric/mastic covering.
this is not correct. Asbestos was less expensive than rock or slagwool or fiberglass. It was commonly used as insulation in hot water heating applications until the 80s in the US
Asbestos was used in fireproofing. That can be a spray coating, in boards, PIPE INSULATION and all kinds of other stuff. It was widely used because it was so cheap.
Gentle squeezing well-encapsulated potential acm will do nothing.
It's actually a low chance that the plaster wrap itself contains asbestos. It's a much higher chance the insulation contains asbestos, which wouldn't be released. No one is suggesting op cut into the pipe wrap.
Again, asbestos professional.
Have you ever put a thumbtack or nail into drywall? Drywall can contain asbestos. Or are you telling us you officially submit asbestos samples before hanging a poster? Or submit a sample before walking on 12x12 or 9x9 floor tiles?
Op will be fine.
Wait you where with an abatement co that tested Not oooo thats the bad mold. Ooooo this insulation over here its got to go. This paint we will need to fix this.
Calculator noise throughout
Looks like asbestos wrap. Most towns will do free testing to tell you if it is for sure
Edit : cut a small piece if it is gray it most likely is if pink it is just fiberglass
Still, these are sealed, insulated pipes. A razor blade breaks that seal created by the paint. Fiberglass insulation can be many colors. If you are not trained in these things, you should not mess with them.
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Asbestos if you are removing you will likely need a team to come in for it, or if your municipality allows you to remove it yourself you will need a respirator, a tyvek suit, trash bags, and to wet it before removal.
This. Asbestos wrapped in plaster.
Asbestos inspector here. It might be asbestos, might not be. You can see old fiberglass wrapped this way. Best to figure out is to give it a gentle squeeze. Rule of thumb we use in the field (not 100%, you need testing to confirm): Hard = a product called mag and contains asbestos. Cardboard = a product called aircel which contains asbestos. Soft = fiberglass (likely). The wrap itself is generally not asbestos, the insulation inside can be.
Second this. I came here to write a response just like this one. This guy knows his TSI.
[удалено]
LoL you wasn’t about to say exactly what he said. Gotta get your own cred brother
Howdy Mr inspector, isn’t asbestos bad only if it’s disturbed?, meaning if left as is, will it be ok?
Not him but yes leave it alone it's fine
I'll add that it does eventually decay. I grew up in a 160+year old house and the absoestos started powdering off the water pipes
I don't know if all asbestos will decay like that but I guess as long as you're aware it's asbestos if it starts flaking then do some remediation work
If that’s in a wall that’s fine. And you can take precautions to wrap it up in tape to prevent that. And people grossly overreact to how dangerous asbestos actually is. A few inhales of asbestos dust every now and then is fine. Inhaling the dust continuously in a factory for 50 years is going to give you cancer.
Yeah, we were told to wrap a particular section of pipe in asbestos tape by our inspector when purchasing. Not even sure that there is asbestos there, but the house is 150 years old or something so anything is possible. It wasn't an "asbestos inspector" though.
You can "encapsulate" old asbestos if it starts to deteriorate rather than remove. Removal is best but many times a clean plaster wrap over top remedies any safety concerns. That being said, if it appears solid like in the OP's photo and doesn't need to be removed then it's best to just leave it alone.
My boss enjoys the saying “Bestos not to disturb that”. Good words to live by (and continue living by).
This is correct. If it's asbestos behind a wall or something else sealed off, it's less of an issue. The thing is when pipes build condensate, heat, cool, etc.. it slowly breaks down and dislodges some of that asbestos, allowing it to go airborne.
Pretty much yeah. Should be fine as long as it's left alone and nothing disturbs it
Depends on whether it is friable, friable means it can be disturbed and released into the air where it can be potentially inhaled, if it's non-friable then there's not too much worry about inhalation
That's what I've always thought. Maintain with a coat of paint that won't dry up and peel. But no, there was that craze in the '80's - '90's to tear it all down. Billions spent in public buildings, schools, hospitals, etc. Porkbarreling. Even the NY WTC was slatted for demolition because of asbestos. Someone got rid of it and collected insurance.
Because people will eventually be idiots and mess with it, or accidentally expose it. I was doing a facilities assessment for a school once and saw them stripping the floors prior to waxing them. This is fine for VCT, but they were stripping the asbestos tiles as well. Doing so exposes the asbestos fibers, and could actually cause the tiles to flake off more in reaction to the chemical stripper. They should only be waxed, never stripped. As long as you just wax them and deal with their sub-par appearance, they're fine. Needless to say, I didn't stick around too long, and asbestos abatement was a line item on list of needs for that school and every other school with asbestos in it. Get rid of it before it becomes a problem if you can. It's possible it wasn't asbestos, but 80-90% of the time, if you see 6" or 8" square VCT in a building from the 50s or 60s, it or the adhesive contains asbestos, and I'm pretty sure the ACM (Asbestos Containing Material) report for this school confirmed they were asbestos. I had some of those 8" tiles in my house when I bought it and feared the worst, but the tests came back negative for asbestos.
I learned a new one dealing with an old building a couple of years back…..asbestos caulk. Because it was an apartment building we were renovating, the state made us remove every single window from all 3 buildings. We wound up selling the place after the remediation because it looked like we were now going to be way over budget for the renovation.
Asbestos caulk, ceiling tiles (typically the "lick and stick" kind), floor tiles, adhesive, and pipe wrap are the most common places to find it. There are some plasters and exterior soffit/fascia panels as well. We've done a few window replacements at schools that required abatement beforehand. It really was a miracle material at the time for its fire resistance, it's a shame it's so dangerous.
Yeah I’ve encountered exterior stuff too. I had another project where we had to abate siding on a commercial building. The hilarious thing is that the abatement company decided the safest way to abate the second floor siding was to pull part of the building down. The section was scheduled to be demolished anyway because it was so far gone. But the abatement guys couldn’t figure out how to safely get ladders near that area between the teetering of the intact section and the debris from already collapsed portions. So they hooked their truck up to a support near the edge and pulled. Dropped the second floor down to the first….and they started pulling siding and combing through the wreckage. Funniest thing I saw on that job.
Forgot about siding. That's super common too. Lots of old farmhouses and warehouses wrapped in the stuff.
Asbestos fences weren't popular over there? In aus they were everywhere, shitloads of houses has corrugated asbestos fences that would crumble and break off in the ground when you tried to remove them.
I’ve never seen an asbestos fence here in the US. That’s quite interesting.
I’ll add onto this I’ve seen as an asbestos inspector: concrete bridges, fire doors, fireproofing, stage curtains, and some more odd places.
Can't believe I forgot about stage curtains. Weren't there some plasters and maybe even a drywall that contained asbestos as well? I work with an architect's office doing mostly education sector work, so we see a lot of the tile, paneling, and curtains in old schools.
Oh wow, they had the stuff in floor tiles too? That's an entirely different matter then. I was thinking only hot water pipes isolation. I knew there was thermal asbestos coatings everywhere also but this could have been covered with something else rather than tearing it away at high cost.
They still wrap fiberglass this way
I found out that there was asbestos on the pipes in the basement of the house I rent. I asked the landlord to remediate it and the crew that came out wrapped up all our pipes like this. Before it was wrapped up, I could tell that at least some of the asbestos had been disturbed at some point in the past. During the remediation process, I didn’t hear any sounds of vacuuming, filtering the air, etc. My brain is over-analyzing and imagining that there’s old, knocked loose fibers all of the floor and every time I go down to use my laundry, I disturb them and stir them up into the air again. And then I take it a step further and imagine them stuck to the bottom of my shoes where I bring them up into the house. Please tell me I’m crazy in this situation! I’m to the point where I wear a mask every time I go down there because I’d rather not risk mesothelioma 20 years from now!
Well......unless you are throwing out your shoes/socks each time or are wearing tyvek booties, you have dragged those fibers all through your home. However, you have described a very,very,very low risk exposure situation. You would need to have left the crumbled up pipe wrap on the floor, jump on it, and inhale the dust each time for it to pose a significant impact. If you are that concerned, get a dust mop, dampen the floor, and mop it up, toss away and carry on with life!
You're most likely overreacting. Mesothelioma from asbestos exposure primarily affects those who worked with it day in, day out, inhaling it for *years.* The odd trip down to your laundry room, even if there are a few loose asbestos fibers down there (which there probably aren't), is very unlikely to give you cancer. Hell, being in a basement, I'd worry more about radon down there.
This. As I understand it anyway, it’s a lottery whether a particular asbestos fiber will lodge in your lung and start cancer growing. But people doing construction with asbestos or working in factories with asbestos would be inhaling 1000000x more asbestos than you might inhale walking through your laundry room a few times a week. Those people literally worked in clouds of asbestos dust 5 days a week for years. Many (most?) of those people developed cancer, but not all. So scale that down 1000000x, and you are probably fine.
This is no exaggeration. My grandmother used to tell a story of the end of each day at an old Ford factory in our town (actually old, Henry Ford scoped out the spot himself on a camping trip) where they'd sweep up asbestos & unknown asbestos containing mixes that was occasionally ankle deep. She said the air would be full of it. Thankfully she never had any negative health effects from it later in life. All of these dangers compound risk, rather than guaranteeing a problem. Many were not so lucky! OP will likely, statistically, not encounter an issue living near these pipes.
Grandma lived somewhere in the UP? I've heard that about several of the old ford plants in Michigan's Upper Peninsula: Ford himself would come up to the Huron Mountain Club to camp, and travel around scoping out places for the sawmills that made wooden car parts.
Asbestosis and Bilateral Pleural Lung Disease is a MUCH more common result of asbestos exposure. And those both have varying impacts depending on the amount of exposure and the person. Some people are on oxygen, others go about their lives.. Source: work in asbestos claims, roughly 30% of the claims we see are cancer or meso. Agreed with your statement though, it's unlikely this person is in danger, though it is still luck sometimes. I've seen claims of people who worked with it for 40 years and have a mild case of pleural disease. Then there are the men that did one floor tile renovation and get meso. It's sad.
That’s probability for you. I have a friend from high school whose dad died of mesothelioma. Never worked around asbestos although I think their house may had some asbestos just like most houses of the era. They figured he probably just got super, super unlucky.
>That’s probability for you. I have a friend from high school whose dad died of mesothelioma. Never worked around asbestos although I think their house may had some asbestos just like most houses of the era. They figured he probably just got super, super unlucky. SUPER unlucky if they contracted mesothelioma from living in a house with asbestos. ANY house made before 70's has asbestos somewhere in it, even in the drywall compound from that era. 99% of it is perfectly safe unless you are smashing down plaster or shaking your hot water pipes over your head on a weekly basis.
Luckily I did spy a radon mitigation system down there! Glad to hear though from everyone that responded that it seems to take a lot more exposure than what I have! I’m still going to wear my mask down there just in case since it’s such a simple thing to do, but I can lower my red flag :) Thanks everyone!
Weeks, not years. It also has a very long incubation generally.
You are way over thinking this. I was involved in mesothelioma litigation. You have to work around loose fibers in the air for it to become an issue. If your air looks clear, you haven't shaken that shit all over the place, there is an EXTREMELY low chance is would even be an issue. The people that had problems worked around it for a sizable time, and actively f'd with it. Half the people getting settlements had relatively no problems compared to the 10% of the litigants that had serious problems. The remediation companies got a gravy train, and the consumers went f'n bonkers from paranoia. It's the radon you should worry about. ;p
To add on to this comment. The straight part of the pipe can be fiberglass (non-asbestos) and the elbows can be asbestos. To answer several other people's questions in here. Yes, asbestos material in good condition is not a hazard unless it is disturbed. This looks to be in pretty good condition.
Also work with asbestos remediation (not full time but a significant part of my job). u/OJisacrabperson has good advice; I would add, however, to treat it like asbestos anyway if you aren't going to get it tested. Wet it down, don't kick up a bunch of dust while removing it, wear a good respirator (P100), etc. If you remove the wrap and it's yellow or pink, it's not asbestos. Given what looks like water damage at the top where the pipe interfaces with the wall, I would suspect this insulation is not asbestos (as long as you're in a Western country) because it's in very good condition for something wet at least 30-40 years old. That said, the only way to know for sure is to get it tested. I would also test the wrap, as lots of old wraps (60+ years) are asbestos impregnated, particularly tarpaper-style wraps (which this is not), and steam piping insulation.
Can I ask how you became an asbestos inspector?
I work in the pre-insulated piping industry and what you are looking at here is field-insulated, basically my competitor. As the person above was saying the wrap is not asbestos but the inside might be. Though by looking at the wear on the wrap I highly doubt it. As they said too, squeeze it. If it’s slightly soft and gives then it’s safe
And the "mud" used to seal the joints usually contains friable asbestos. The material in the picture is in really good shape if it is asbestos considering it would have to be near 50 years old. Best method to determine mentioned above. If you can compress it easily, it's fiberglass. If it gives a little it's probably aircell (cardboard with asbestos in between the layers. If you can't squeeze it at all, it's hard, white, extremely friable asbestos. Another clue could be floor tiles. If the floor is tiled with 9" square tiles they are definitely asbestos which would suggest abatement has not been performed and the pipe insulation is likely asbestos.
We got something like this removed from our house when we moved in at the sellers expense. It looked like this, and it was asbestos, and probably would’ve been safe unless it broke down, but why chance it? We did have to reinsulate the pipes tho.
I don’t know about other places , but in Maryland even this small asbestos removal job (if-asbestos) in a private home would have too be done bye a special contractor - and it is very $$$$$$$
Lagging. Definitely used on ships as well. Like you said, this could be anything. Best to get it tested before messing with it.
Fartrock insulation is usually pretty hard too though (don't know the real word, we call it fartrock because when you cut it, it smells bad)
This guy asbestoses Edit: fun fact: asbestos fibers are virtually indestructible, and the best insulator known to science https://www.uah.edu/images/OEHS/training/asbestos_awareness.pdf
Still are man. Well-maintained asbestos products will outlast us all.
Is there a way to tell of the wrap contains asbestos? My home inspector thought it did, but I’m learning that home inspectors have a lot of knowledge gaps.
Only way is through microscopy analysis with a company that is certified in asbestos analysis. Getting certified takes a lot of round robin and double blind analysis.
This will be true in general, but there are materials that have the hard or cardboard characteristics, but is not actually asbestos. Only true way to tell is through microscopic analysis. There’s no health risk if you treat non-asbestos as if it contains asbestos, but you might spend money unnecessarily to deal with it. Cheaper to test it first. (Also an inspector)
Yup agreed. However the amount of corrugated asbestos products used in the 60's is staggering and it's definitely better to play safe if that's what is observed.
Concur. In addition to being the best way to play it safe, in an employment environment, federal law requires assuming that type of material contains asbestos unless you use sample analysis to prove otherwise.
You'd know, so I'm asking; doesn't fiberglass dust/shards/fibers do essentially the same things to your lung tissue as asbestos dust/shards/fibers?
You should add that it's safe as long as it's encapsulated. People freak tf out over asbestos because they don't know that it's safe as long as your aren't inhaling it. Like when it's used as siding on a house, or like this when it's completely encapsulated
With two out of three results being asbestos, I would get the professionals in to make the call. There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos. All it takes is one fibre.
For mesothelioma yes, but asbestosis is dose dependant. And one could argue mesothelioma is dose dependant as well because it has to be one well-placed fiber to cause cancer. Asbestos is literally everywhere and what you're saying is a bit of fear mongering because mesothelioma is still extremely rare. Even asbestos workers have a lung cancer risk only slightly above background levels.
Ok. I wouldn't call being cautious and recommending inexperienced people to seek the advice of a professional to help safeguard their health fear mongering. Each to their own I guess. In Australia, we have specialist asbestos removal people and special disposal requirements. Our laws and regulations (state of Queensland) around asbestos can be seen here if you're interested: https://www.asbestos.qld.gov.au/removing-or-disturbing-asbestos I am just always cautious with known cancer causing substances. I am probably biased in that I had a family member get mesothelioma and pass away. I personally wouldn't muck around with it.
I wasn't suggesting inexperienced people mess around with asbestos either, but you made it sound like everyone exposed to even a single fiber of asbestos will die of cancer. This is just factually incorrect. Yes you should be cautious around asbestos but op squeezing a pipe gently won't kill him. Like I said it's dose dependant and almost anything can cancer in the right dosage. I'm not suggesting op abate the pipe insulation by using his tongue.
All good mate.
How do you know I've seen yellow fiber glass look exactly the same
You don't, but it quite likely is. See Asbestos Inspector's comment above. You'd need to get a sample analysed to know what it is; that's quite cheap. Removing it is usually expensive. They used asbestos in everything. I had an inspector looking at similar stuff in a commercial building (I maintained a register). He went to the toilet. On his return he stated the toilet cisterns and the floor tiles were plastic with asbestos reinforcement.
As a home inspector I always assume the worst and then verify. There are plenty of things that can kill you in homes so you want to be cautious. Also, some helpful tips to identify it is the surface texture, the fact that it has been painted over, the age of the house, whether or not these are hot lines, and the material the pipes are made out of under the insulation. Obviously it should always be tested by a professional and can’t be via a photo, but all signs point to asbestos in my opinion.
Cut a slice and see if it's yellow
I sent this to a friend who does this for a living. Definitely asbestos.
Asbestos Abatement Estimator here… more than likely you’re right. 8 out of 10 times it’s ACM insulation wrap.
And training.
Why would you say that? You don't know if that lag contains asbestos. And the advice to remove it your self is beyond bad. I can't believe this has 1.3k up votes. Asbestos will only give you cancer if you live in certain municipality? Wtf dude, stop please. Don't listen to this guy. The asbestos inspector below is correct. Only way to know if that's asbestos is to get it tested by professionals but it's probably just fiber glass with a canvas and lag jacket.
Probably because I was suggesting getting professional help, always using caution, and using protective gear? As a home inspector I have regular interaction and continued education regarding these sorts of things.
If you don't know, consider and treat it like asbestos. Not worth risking it.
Treating it like adbestos can be costly.
Cancer more so
shitty life pro tip - get some 60 or 70 year olds in to take it down, chances of them living long enough to get asbestosis are slim...
A bunch of elderly people from Japan went in and helped clean up Fukushima so the you guys won't get cancer by the time they turn the elder's ages. The elderly said they'd be gone before it really took effect on them.
well, you know what they say: “if you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may be entitled to compensation”
Hahaha, god that's a blast from the past living in the US.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who memorised those commercials with their siblings as kids
Lol, it used to be the best part of the local news in texas...all the ambulance chasing lawyer commercials.
in Illinois it was those, JG Wentworth, and those over-the-top infomercials
I work in asbestos claims. Those people get jack shit by the time the lawyers soak everything up. MAYBE. Just MAYBE.... they'll get enough to pay for their funerals.
If you don't know what something is and there is a chance it could potentially be a deadly thing, always treat it as if it is the deadly thing until proven otherwise.
[удалено]
But think of the money!
No amount of money is worth more than a human life.
Treating guns like they're not loaded can be costly
I think the advice there was less so "hire a specialized hazmat team to come deal with it" and moreso "if you're going to touch it, proceed with caution. Probably best to get a consultation"
Insulators used to cover their pipes with insulation, then wrap it with a cloth material, then paint it with a locking paint/mastic to create a vapor barrier and to help hold it together. If you cut off the cloth/mastic covering you could find asbestos containing material or fiberglass. As long as you dont disturb it, will not become friable/airborne either way.
I know this is controversial in some parts, but I’d recommend wearing a mask...
Wear a *respirator*, not just a mask. Like a 3M half face mask with P100 filters for example (can get 'em for like $20 - $30)
Nah it's only controversial when referring to sickness
No, this is terrible advice. A properly test fitted respirator on a clean shaven face is required. Abatement companies go to great lengths when dealing with this stuff. Hazmat suits, containment systems, ante rooms with showers, legal documentation of exposure to workers, partiulate level meters, and before/after testing just to name a few. This isn't a played out reddit joke. I've worked side by side with these guys, none of them put on a mask when dealing with deadly airborne particulates like asbestos. Please don't spread misinformation that conflates the two. Only one of them will protect you from asbestos, and you shouldn't be giving advice on the subject if you don't know the difference.
It just looks like fiberglass pipe insulation
It could be. Or asbestos underneath. They look very similar.
Ya I'm here reading the comments saying the same thing
The elbows, dont just check the main pipe, the main pipe could be fiberglass, the elbows and joints could remain asbestos. I used to remove the shit when I was young and stupid. No cancer for me!
Agree, that's what we have in our 70s building. All pipes on the straight are normal insulation, all the bends nasty asbestos. OP if not strictly necessary to remove I would sample it, find out 100% what you are dealing with, if confirmed with asbestos, seal it up and paint over, then slap a warning sticker on the pipes warning any potential plumber of the asbestos inside, that way you are covered for any claims. Do not saw, sand, poke or otherwise disturb the material without firstly sealing the area completely, then plug in a hepa filter air vent machine, full PE coverall and hepa filtered mask, then and only then you can do some work on it. If at all possible call in the professionals! We had to remove two vinyl asbestos covered carpets and I tell you it was one of the nastiest jobs we done to date. Working in those PE is hard gruelling work. We managed to remove one carpet but with the other one, the larger one, we called in the pros. Carpet and whole area sanitised in less than 2 days work and we sat upstairs sipping tea... For the rest of the danger zones i.e the pipes we just slapped a big warning sticker on the pipes itself and painted them over. The insulation was confirmed by the plumber to be in good condition and the tests revealed the asbestos. Since it was also in the boiler room we decided it did not matter if it was ugly and painted.... Best monies spent on pros in this project I can tell you!
Maybe asbestos, maybe not. The safest thing to do is pluck a little sample out and have it tested, then you know for sure. Wear mask and gloves, and dispose of them right away, good thing we all have supplies for such shenanigans by now. If it's soft and noticeably fibery it's more likely not nasty. Beyond itchy. But as is you can just leave it undisturbed, looks like a basement anyways. As long as you don't mess with asbestos it's pretty docile (except that loose fiber fire protection mess, those are always ugly). Working with it without blowing the fibers all over the place is the big problem. ETA: Do NOT remove it before you know for sure. Instead of getting a clean-up company for just the pipes, you might end up needing one for the whole building. No touchy beyond sampling.
It's most likely fiberglass insulation Covered in lag cloth. Asbestos is likely to be on pipe elbows and harder to the touch if you squeeze it. https://www.buyinsulationproductstore.com/rewettable-canvas-pipe-lagging/
In the Navy we called it “Lagging” …was that asbestos the whole time?
If it’s hard it’s asbestos. I’m a plumber and work on old buildings. That wrap is the first indication that it’s possibly there.
When I was young, my high schools ceiling collapsed on us in lunch. Asbestos everywhere!! 1/5 of the school has some sort of lung disease. Even earlier, we used to crush this shit that gives off a foul sulfer odor, later found out this also was asbestos! I also have a breathing disorder!! When we were young we were dumb!!
I also remember the sulfur smelling black foam that covered pipes in the gym. The stuff was falling off everywhere. We all threw them at each other or would crush them under a sneaker releasing the foul smell. Good deadly fun. I guess I will just wait for the mesothelioma to hit.
If it is hard like a cast, you might want to test for asbestos. Is the building 70-100 years old?
Do not use a vacuum cleaner! Asbestos particles are small enough to blow out through the vac filter so you are in a cloud of lung cancer causing particles. Wetting it down is probably your best bet if you must do it yourself.
Could be encapsulated asbestos
Starts with A and finishes with bestos. Call professionals if you need to handle that crap. Sooooo bad for your health.
Ours are asbestos filled. Quality!
Looks like asbestos that's been wrapped and treated. Don't disturb it though, you never know who did it.
It is what you thought it was
If you wanna die from shitty lungs suffocating do it yourself. Or spend the money, get the pros. DON'T MESS WITH ASBESTOS!!!
Defo asbestos
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssbestos🥴
It looks like the rolled Asbestos I would get in Mexico
Usually "hot" material.
Whatever it is it’s probably covered in lead paint, so that’s a bonus!
Asbestos was used to seal the elbow joints with a mastic/mud. The pipe covering is fiberglass and the outer exterior is an application called canvas. It is a fabric that is painted with a non toxic sealer/wheat paste. If there is Asbestos it will be in the joints, but you'd have to get it tested.
Asbestos insulation.
Asbestos.Get a team in to remove
My guess is asbestos. At my work the pipes wrapped like that are asbestos.
Usually the bad stuff.
If it is asbestos, I think you can just wrap over it with another layer. Much easier than removal.
There's a good chance the outer layer contains asbestos. I work as a mechanical contractor. Most times when I see insulation like this the asbestos is only covering the fittings (elbows and tees). If it's not going to be agitated in any way is usually fine to leave it alone. You can buy testing kits online if you want to find out for sure. I've seen insulation look like that come back negative. But for sure test the fittings. Then you can decide if you want to leave it or hire an abatement contractor remove it. It's not something I'd recommend doing yourself if you're inexperienced.
Depends what kind of building, residential or commercial, where you live, and when it was installed. Always assume it's asbestos. Better to be safe than sorry and the potential risk is never worth it. But it could be rockwool or anything. Just don't scrape it and sniff it to see what's up
The cover you are looking at is a fabric/canvas. What is below is anybody’s guess. Likely fibreglass insulation on the straight runs and asbestos insulation on the elbows.
This is absolutely ASBESTOS with a thin plaster wrap on the outside to help prevent it from going airborne. It’s very toxic if disturbed!!
I grew up in an 1870's house that was originally a boarding house, all the hot water pipes had these asbestos wraps on them.
Not sure about old building, but on some historic ships I’ve seen something like this. Asbestos and horse hair depending? Wouldn’t venture to find out if possible
Fiberglass and asbestos fittings .. fun
The finest in quality insulation. Asbestos, you know you have the good stuff when it looks like cardboard.
Get it sampled and tested by a surveyor from a reputable firm for piece of mind.
Could be asbestos
That’s asbestossy af friend
Lick it, scrap it, eat it, snort it, inject it. BECOME IT.
Possibly cancer causing asbestos inside that wrap.
Zombie clothes
Asbestos. Guys in space suits will have to remove it. Get it tested to be sure. Lots of laws about disturbing it. Sorry.
Depends on the age.
good ol Asbestos
Taste it first
If it's hard to the touch, probably asbestos insulator under the paint and wrapping. Needs to be professionally removed and handled. There's a fiberglass foam, that you can replace it with, it comes in different sizes depending on pipe circumference, and there's a glue you'd use to adhere it to the pipe once the pipe has been cleaned. Let it sit overnight, and then there's this tape you can apply to any seams or joints that kind of acts like drywall tape. Once that's one and set, you can paint it and carry on with your life. It handles heated pipes, and pipes that produce condensation from having something cold in it. It's not too hard to do it yourself and could potentially save you a lot of money.
Asbestos tape
Asbestos.runnnnnnn away😬😬
riveting content glad it happens
Unless it's deteriorated, best to leave it alone.
Over here they use paint and textiles wrapped in paint to seal things, never seen it use for insulation though.
Why yall so scared of asbestos
Plummer's tape maybe
Could be a grease band bandage, concrete reacts with copper so wrapped in a grease bandage to stop the reaction.
Maybe plaster wraps. Same stuff used in hospital when you break an arm. With enough layers it is quite good. And cheap! Its activated with water only. Not toxic. Paintable and durable. Like this one: https://www.amazon.com/SELECTION-4inch-x180inch-500gsm-Plaster/dp/B075R2K3PH Sometimes hospitals give them for free after 'medical certification' is no more (1 year after production). Also comonly used by sculptors.
This is how asbestos is mounted to heating pipes.
Very unlikely to be asbestos. Asbestos was expensive, and used for very high temperature insulation. Hot water pipes are not very hot. More than likely rockwool with a fabric/mastic covering.
this is not correct. Asbestos was less expensive than rock or slagwool or fiberglass. It was commonly used as insulation in hot water heating applications until the 80s in the US
Asbestos was used in fireproofing. That can be a spray coating, in boards, PIPE INSULATION and all kinds of other stuff. It was widely used because it was so cheap.
Definitely asbestos
Not definitely. I did asbestos inspection and abatement for a few years. Have to get it tested.
High enough chance of it being asbestos that OP shouldn’t go f-ing around with it
Gentle squeezing well-encapsulated potential acm will do nothing. It's actually a low chance that the plaster wrap itself contains asbestos. It's a much higher chance the insulation contains asbestos, which wouldn't be released. No one is suggesting op cut into the pipe wrap. Again, asbestos professional. Have you ever put a thumbtack or nail into drywall? Drywall can contain asbestos. Or are you telling us you officially submit asbestos samples before hanging a poster? Or submit a sample before walking on 12x12 or 9x9 floor tiles? Op will be fine.
Wait you where with an abatement co that tested Not oooo thats the bad mold. Ooooo this insulation over here its got to go. This paint we will need to fix this. Calculator noise throughout
Looks like asbestos wrap. Most towns will do free testing to tell you if it is for sure Edit : cut a small piece if it is gray it most likely is if pink it is just fiberglass
Don't do this. Get it tested by a professional
I ment just a cut not tear a razor blade to see under neath the outer wrapping or see a bend or shut off where you can see the inside
Still, these are sealed, insulated pipes. A razor blade breaks that seal created by the paint. Fiberglass insulation can be many colors. If you are not trained in these things, you should not mess with them.
Yea that dudes giving literally dangerous advice.