On the “lead abatement” thread, David Thomas reminds us that lead on things isn’t the problem — it’s lead in the air. So it might be best to leave it alone if it is sound. Does the same apply to asbestos? I have some asbestos insulation covered pipes in my basement (ca. 1905). Hot water and return for the radiators. They are peeling and I am sure they are putting fibers in the air.
What do folks think of the idea of (1) spraying them to reduce crumbling, (2) wraping the pipes + crumbling insulation with some combination of modern insulatiuon and plastic on the outside? The idea being to keep the asbestos where it is.
The alernative is to call an asbestos-abatement wizard for lots of bucks.
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If I recall..try a plaster gauze wrap like a cast..it is made for such a job.
The newer fiberglass stuff can be activated with water and is durable as all get out..medical supply?
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
Even more true of asbestos. All this work being done in schools to eliminate all that evil asbestos is good-intentioned but off the mark in some cases.
If the asbestos is "friable" - producing fibers into the air - then there is potential risk if someone is breathing that air or tracking those fibers somewhere else where people are breathing.
If it is not friable, leave it along, don't bump it or subject it to physcial wear.
If it is friable, yes, misting it with water will reduce the fibers emitted while you work. There are various approved ways to encapsulate asbestos but the simplest would be to wrap in polyethylene sheeting ("Visqueen") and tape closed. Better would be a paster or fiberglass coating to seal it all in.
To minimize exposure of the worker (you?), HEPA-rated particulare filters should be used. Half-face air-purifying respiritors are sufficient. If doing it for hire, you have to be a certified asbestos abatement firm unless it under a limit they allow general contractors to take on (10 sq ft?) as part of other work.
Your landfill probably has regulations about what kind of asbestos-containing materials they accept (they may well), how much you'll pay (more than regular garbage even if it goes in the same place), and how to transport/deliver it (often double wrapped in Visqueen). That is, if you ask them.
We have a yearly 'asbestos scare lecture' at the fire department, and had it last night. Lots of good stories about relatively unharmed building materials after fires, and cigarette filters. They say that fake snow in movies used to be asbestos and that Steve McQueen died of mesothelioma. Youch.
I say call the wizards and pay them to get rid of it. You don't need to be handling that stuff or getting near it. There are only a few types of respirators that capture the particles, which can be 1/1200 the size of a human hair. The incubation period of asbestos related diseases is +/- 30 years and that you only need a few particles lodged in your lungs to cause a problem. I'd rather die... some other way.