8 Places Where Asbestos Can Still Linger in Your Home
Asbestos has been banned in the USA since
1978, but it has been widely used in construction and home decor before
that, and to this day, many homes contain it. Furthermore, the toxic
chemical keeps being detected by the FDA in cosmetic and baby products.
Therefore, it’s sadly impossible to say that we’ve managed to eliminate
the toxic chemical from our lives just yet.
Hence, we should definitely be aware of the
dangers it poses to our health and the household items in which it may
still linger. After all, asbestos can infiltrate the lungs and cause
long-term damage and chronic lung issues. In this article, we’ll list 9
common household items that may contain asbestos and how it can affect
your health.
1. Baby Powder
Asbestos is dangerous to humans when it’s
inhaled, so it’s especially concerning that so many baby powders contain
the toxic chemical, putting both babies and parents at risk. But how
does asbestos get into baby powder, to begin with? First of all, let us
reassure you that not all baby powders contain this dangerous substance,
only some of the talc-based powders do. Talcum powder is a naturally
occurring mineral that’s mined directly from the ground.
Talc is commonly used in baby powder
because it absorbs moisture from the skin and can prevent diaper rash.
Unfortunately, asbestos deposits often grow next to talcum deposits, and
so the risks of cross-contamination are quite common.
For this reason, some companies producing talc-based baby powder
formulas have discontinued their products. Most famously, in May of
2020, Johnson & Johnson announced that it stopped producing
talc-bases baby powder after over 19,000 lawsuits have been filed since
1957 accusing the company of using asbestos-containing talcum powder in
their products.
2. Powder Cosmetics
Baby powder is unfortunately not the only common household item where
asbestos-contaminated talc can be found. Other commercial and even food
products may also contain trace amounts of talc. One of the most common
sources of talc is powdered cosmetics. Although companies have been
claiming that cosmetic-grade talc is free of asbestos and safe to use,
routine investigations by regulatory bodies like FDA have found time and
time again that this seems not to be true.
Most recently, in November of 2020, the researchers of the Environmental
Working Group, a nonprofit organization, have published an analysis
where they tested just 21 samples of beauty products made using talcum
powder, such as face powder, eyeshadow, and children's makeup kits. Of
these samples, three - 2 eyeshadow palettes and 1 toy makeup kit -
tested positive for asbestos.
This is not the first time asbestos was detected in cosmetics - the FDA
found that 9 out of 52 random talc-based cosmetics they tested also
contained the chemical in 2019. This is all extremely alarming, as we
use cosmetics on our face and are bound to inhale some of it while
applying makeup. For your safety, we’d recommend staying away from all
products that contain talc, be it baby powder or makeup.
3. Curtains and Textiles
Before people realized that asbestos was extremely dangerous for our
health, they used it in all kinds of products, including curtains and
other textiles. This is understandable, as asbestos is easy to mine,
cheap, and it gave textiles a heat-resistant and flame-retardant
quality. As a matter of fact, fabrics containing asbestos were at one
point in history marketed as the safest option for families due to their
ability to prevent fires.
Unfortunately, now we know that the dangers of asbestos far outweigh its
benefits. Yet, many vintage fabrics and old curtains may still contain
asbestos, so it’s a good idea to get rid of any textiles if you know
that they contain asbestos and be careful when shopping for vintage
decor.
4. Vintage Appliances and Christmas Decorations
Textiles are by far not the only type of material to which asbestos was
added. The ingredient was also added to plastic and heating elements of
common appliances, such as hair dryers, cooking appliances, and wicking
for gas ranges according to Asbestos.com. Other consumer products, such
as pot holders, ashtray coasters, and even Christmas decorations and
fake snow were also reinforced with asbestos, so be careful if you’re
still using any of those items or thrifting for vintage items.
5. Flooring 
If you have a floor that’s been installed
before 1981, there’s a high chance that it contains asbestos. This is
especially true for vinyl floor tiles, but the backing vinyl flooring
and adhesives used in flooring also often contained the dangerous
material. According to the EPA, there’s no need to uninstall all
flooring of that time if it’s in pristine condition, but if an
asbestos-containing floor has been damaged - chipped or scraped- it will
release asbestos particles into the air when you’re cleaning it.
Therefore, it’s necessary to replace an asbestos-containing floor when
it sustains damages, and better leave that task to professionals, too,
as removing asbestos on your own is bound to release even more asbestos
fibers into the air and so it needs to be in special protective
equipment and with specialized tools. It’s also very dangerous and
illegal to just throw the asbestos away into the trash, it needs to be
properly recycled.
6. Wallpaper
Vintage wallpaper is beautiful and often
much better quality than the newer ones, but it, too, can be
contaminated with asbestos. Both wallpaper adhesives and the wallpaper
itself was often made using the toxic material for the same reason it
was used in textiles - to prevent house fires. Wallpaper that has a
vinyl finish made before 1981 is the most likely to contain asbestos. As
with flooring, if the wallpaper is intact, you can rest assured or
paint over it. However, you should get the wallpaper professionally
tested and removed if it’s curling, cracked, or torn.
7. Insulation
Older homes often contain insulation
contaminated with asbestos, too. This includes loose-fill insulation,
block insulation, acoustic tiles, and spray-on insulation. The
insulation may fall through cracks in the ceiling, exposing your lungs
and airways to the toxic material. Or you might just decide to update
your insulation and end up inhaling asbestos when removing or simply
padding up old insulation.
Also, be careful with pipe wrap, as asbestos has been often used to make
pipes in heating systems heat-resistant. The pipes were either coated
with asbestos themselves or covered with tape or a blanket containing
asbestos. If you decide to update old insulation of any kind, it’s best
to get it tested beforehand.
8. Walls and Roofing
Do you remember those popcorn ceilings that
were popular in the past? Well, it turns out that they all contained
lots of asbestos that was either sprayed onto the ceiling or infused in
the paint. The same is true with wallboard, drywall, siding, and roofing
shingles manufactured before the 1980s, as the heat- and fire-resistant
properties of the material were often a requirement for a “safe” home
back in the day.
If you’re refurbishing the walls or replacing the roof or shingles in an
older home, it’s advised to test it for asbestos first and get it
removed professionally if recommended. This is especially urgent when it
comes to walls and ceilings, as you and other residents of the home may
be inhaling asbestos fibers that come from tiny cracks and tiny holes.
Asbestos Can Seriously Affect Your Health
The reason why asbestos has been banned, to
begin with, is due to its toxic effect on the human body. The most
direct damage this material can inflict on the body is lung scarring, as
the microscopic fibers of asbestos literally cut the lung tissue. There
is extensive research to support that the scarring and thickening of
lung tissues caused by exposure to asbestos lead to difficulty breathing
and a decrease in lung function, according to the CDC.
More recent research also draws a direct correlation between asbestos
and several types of cancer, particularly mesothelioma, a rare tumor
that develops in the lungs, heart, and other organs. Asbestos exposure
is also associated with lung cancer, ovarian cancer, and laryngeal
cancer.
Is asbestos always dangerous for your health? Generally speaking, intact
materials containing asbestos don’t pose a danger to human health. If
you have an asbestos-containing material in good condition, the best
thing you can do is leave it be and protect it from damage. The
dangerous asbestos particles are released into the air when the material
is crumbled, sanded, or scratched. This is the time when you should
seek professional testing and help in removing the asbestos-containing
material. Needless to say, these rules do not apply to talc-containing
products contaminated with asbestos - these are dangerous at all times
and should be avoided.