Posted: 9/8/2007 7:49:40 PM EDT
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I moved into an apartment a few weeks ago. This place was built way back when but some parts of it have been remodeled and its a nice place to live. One thing I've noticed is that the utility room which has the washer, dryer, and HVAC unit in it has pipes with what looks likes asbestos in it, a hard shell and in some places you can see fiber exposed from the joints. The HVAC intake is also in this utility room. They did air quality and water testing about two weeks ago. I'm just wondering if theres any reason for concern. I know you're not supposed to disturb the stuff but we go in and out of that room quite often and all the airflow must pass through that room. See the pics below and tell me what you think and if anything should be done.              -Foxxz |
As long as you (or somebody else) doesn't mess with the intact insulation, you should be fine. Most cases of asbestosis / mesothelioma were miners, mechanics, or other folks who were around the shit 8/5 (or their families who cleaned their work clothes at home).  That said, you could also ask your landlord to repair the areas where the Asbestos is showing.  |
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The yellow color would almost indicate a fiberglass, instead of asbestos. A quick test would be to pull a little tuft of it out, and heat it over a flame from your stove, or a propane torch. If it melts, it is fiberglass. If it doesn't melt, it is asbestos. Edit to clarify: Asbestos might have binders in it which might smoke/burn/melt. But the asbestos fibers themselves will not melt. If you see a fiber that melts and forms a bead, that is glass. |
Thanks for the good info. I looked up many pictures of asbestos pipe insulation on google images and compared it to what I see. I think you are right that it is fiberglass. Still leaves me wondering about the air quality tests. There is certainly mold on some of those pipes and around that HVAC unit. I suppose they were testing for mold or maybe radon. The back side of our apartment is underground while the front side is completely ground level. -Foxxz |
If it's yellow I doubt it's asbestos in the long sections then either. |
The long sections look like fiberglass too. It doesn't have the "paper mache" look of old asbestos, it is just painted wrapped fiberglass. |
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As Tango7 noted earlier, as long as it's intact and not breaking up it's not a hazard anyway. Asbestos is a perfect example of what happens when politicians and the Media get their hands on an environmental issue. Yes, it can be quite dangerous in some situations, but it's not this horrible deadly poison that will reach out and kill you if you're just walking by. |
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AND, if you are worried about the mold on the pipes, you can just shoot some fresh spray paint on it. It would encapsulate it the same as if it was asbestos. And if you really wanted to do a good job, find some marine paint with anti fouling agents that inhibit biological growths. |
+1
+1 I've heard that the biggest asbestos danger in houses is "popcorn" ceilings from the bad old days. |