Loose fill Asbestos underneath floorboards?

[K-Duffy]

Hello all,

I’m currently having a complete re-wire taken out on my house.

As I was leaving it earlier I noticed the electrician had pulled up a floorboard and I could see underneath in the cavity below my house.

There was some loose-fill insulation there that looked a lot like wee white polystyrene balls. Are there any chances this could be Asbestos? Is this sort of thing common? The house was built in 1947.

Electrician didn’t seem too fussed but I worry to high heaven about them walking it around the house.

Cheers!

Kristian

 

[Bonni]

Sounds like the cavities were injected filled and some of the cavity fill blew through a hole in the inner leaf or around a joist.

You will no doubt see mortared over holes on the outer leaf in a staggered pattern.

 

[K-Duffy]

Ah I see- there wasn’t too much of it but still a fair amount. Is it likely to be asbestos if it looks like polystyrene balls?

 

[Bonni]

No asbestos whatsoever, it'll be a product like polystyrene and probably treated not to absorb moisture.

The stuff blown into cavities tends to be either cotton wool stuff or little polystyrene type balls.

 

[K-Duffy]

No asbestos whatsoever, it'll be a product like polystyrene and probably treated not to absorb moisture.

phew thank you so much Bonni that’s some weight off my mind. We had an asbestos scare with some tile adhesive last month so I’ve been on edge about the stuff. Thanks again

 

[Bonni]

phew thank you so much Bonni that’s some weight off my mind. We had an asbestos scare with some tile adhesive last month so I’ve been on edge about the stuff. Thanks again

Well, there's nothing wrong with asbestos as long as you don't cut it / sand it, or anything that puts asbestos dust into the air to breathe it in. You couldn't go to a property and fit, say, a panel containing asbestos, but if there's already one there, there's nothing stopping you using it in a different cupboard etc.. but highly unlikely anyone would want to do that. But at the end of the day, any asbestos found can just be double bagged and taken to the local refuge centre.

 

[FrodoOne]

If you at all concerned, take a small sample of the product which you think may be either polystyrene or asbestos outside to a suitable "site", dampen with methylated spirit and ignite.
If it burns away to (virtually) nothing, it is not asbestos.

 

[K-Duffy]

Well, there's nothing wrong with asbestos as long as you don't cut it / sand it, or anything that puts asbestos dust into the air to breathe it in. You couldn't go to a property and fit, say, a panel containing asbestos, but if there's already one there, there's nothing stopping you using it in a different cupboard etc.. but highly unlikely anyone would want to do that. But at the end of the day, any asbestos found can just be double bagged and taken to the local refuge centre.

Yeah I know now that if I ever get suspicious I should just leave it undisturbed, but in this case my fear came from the fact it was loose-fill and I had no more control over it as I left him to it.

I’m partially relieved to think that he’s probably been trained to spot asbestos at least a little bit, from his years as an electrician.

 

[K-Duffy]

UPDATE
I got home and managed to take a picture of it. It looks more like wool than polystyrene?

whatever it is, it killed this bird and appears to have came in a packet?

 

[FrodoOne]

UPDATE
I got home and managed to take a picture of it. It looks more like wool than polystyrene?

whatever it is, it killed this bird and appears to have came in a packet?

While the bird may have died, that does not prove that any of that substance caused its death.
(Most birds do not live very long, as compared to human beings.)

While you may be becoming paranoid about this, just do that which I recommended and
"take a small sample of the product which you think may be either polystyrene or asbestos (or wool) outside to a suitable "site", dampen with methylated spirit and ignite."
If it burns away to (virtually) nothing, it is not asbestos.

 

[K-Duffy]

While the bird may have died, that does not prove that any of that substance caused its death.
(Most birds do not live very long, as compared to human beings.)

While you may be becoming paranoid about this, just do that which I recommended and
"take a small sample of the product which you think may be either polystyrene or asbestos (or wool) outside to a suitable "site", dampen with methylated spirit and ignite."
If it burns away to (virtually) nothing, it is not asbestos.

I'm starting to think, after intense googling that it may be loose fill fibreglass - which in this case woudln't burn either?

 

[FrodoOne]

I'm starting to think, after intense googling that it may be loose fill fibreglass - which in this case woudln't burn either?

But the ends of fibreglass fibres will be seen to melt, using the "test" which I suggested, whereas asbestos fibres will not !

However, since you are worried, get a sample tested by an accredited organisation.

https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/managing/sampling.htm