Asbestos can be found in properties prior to 1990 (most people believe asbestos to only be in buildings up to 1970). However, when asbestos was banned in the late 1970s from being manufactured, suppliers still had lots of product left on the shelves until the 1990s.
Asbestos contains harmful fibers that can attach themselves deep in the lungs and create long-term health hazards, including cancers such as Mesothelioma (cancer of the lung of the chest or abdominal cavity), Asbestosis (scarring of the lungs making breathing difficult) and lung cancer. It is believed that there is no safe levels of exposure and can be extremely harmful over time.
The following are examples of common building materials with the possibility to contain asbestos:
- Vermiculite in attic insulation
- Insulation layered with wood chip, batt or blown in insulation
- Drywall joint compound or joint cement
- Ceiling texture (usually popcorn ceiling or knockdown), ceiling tiles
- Floor tiles and some carpets that have paper backing
- Stucco and plaster
- Duct wrapping around pipes, furnaces, heating vents
- Sprayed paint and coatings