Q. What Year Was Asbestos a Problem in Vermiculite Insulation?

Q. Hi Mark,

My house was built in 1958, according to the date on the chimney, I purchased the house in 2001, and did total renovation, unfortunatly the vermiculite is still in my attic and when the house was inspected before buying it the inspector said that it was fine to leave it. I was wondering if you knew what year the vermiculite had asbestos in it?

Thank you, Caroline

A. Hey Caroline,
Most of the vermiculite used as insulation in north America came from a mine in Libby Montana.  This mine’s vermiculite was contaminated with several large veins of asbestos.  At one time, Asbestos was considered an excellent insulator and fire retardant.  Therefore, initially there wasn’t much concern about the asbestos contaminating the vermiculite. It wasn’t until later, when a connection between asbestos and lung diseases was found, that vermiculite insulation became a concern for homeowners. Unfortunately, there isn’t any particular date that you can count on the vermiculite not containing asbestos. While not all vermiculite contains asbestos (not all vermiculite came from, or currently comes from the Libby mine), most vermiculite insulation does. Or, at least the EPA recommends that you assume it does. Your inspector was correct, in saying you can leave it alone. The concern is when the vermiculite is disturbed either by storing things in the attic, or by renovations. I’d recommend clicking on the download links in the right hand side bar to read more about vermiculite insulation and the EPA’s recommendations to homeowners.
I hope that helps.
Mark

Q. Okay to Add More Insulation On Top of Vermiculite?

Q. Hey Mark,
I have read the postings about vermiculite and that you should not disturb it. We only have 6 inches of insulation in our attic and need more [for] our cold winter weather. How do we add more insulation to the attic without disturbing the vermiculite and causing a health hazard? Will a professional insulation company add insulation over it?
Thanks,
Victoria

Hey Victoria,
It’s hard to tell you what would be best in your situation without actually looking at the home, but I can give you some options to consider.

One option that would be a permanent solution, is to have have the vermiculite professionally removed and replaced. That’s going to be a fairly expensive proposition and one that isn’t always necessary. If the insulation is staying where it is supposed to be, isn’t sifting into the living area around lights and fixtures, and has no traffic on or around it, a lower cost solution would be to cover it up.

I would recommend that you interview the insulation companies in your area, and make sure that their installers are familiar with vermiculite and the possibility that it contains asbestos. If their installers are well trained, and properly equipped, they may be able to either lay rolled insulation, or blow additional fiber or cellulose insulation over the top of what you already have. That will of course disturb what you have to a certain degree, but a properly trained and equipped installer will minimize the disturbance as much as is reasonably possible. Remember though, with the second option, you must always be aware of the vermiculite’s presence. Anyone going into the attic should be notified of it’s existence. And any remodeling that will disturb it will need to be done professionally, as well. If you have insulation added, make sure you document what was done and keep the receipts. When you go to sell the home, put some wording in your disclosure of this nature… “In 2008 we added 8 inches of blown cellulose insulation on top of the original 6 inches of vermiculite.” This does two things… It informs the buyer that vermiculite is present, and also lets them know that you improved the home by adding insulation and by covering the vermiculite. Reduce buyer suspicions by disclosing up front and increase buyer peace of mind by advertising the improvement.

Bottom line, I would recommend that you get several estimates from some asbestos remediation companies for removal, as well as insulation companies for covering it up. This will allow you to make the best decision based on your specific circumstances.
Mark

Mark Nahrgang is the owner of Kingdom Inspection Network Group – St. Louis and is a professional NACHI certified building inspector in the St. Louis metro area. Mark performs home inspections as well as commercial inspections throughout St. Louis and St. Charles County.

Q. Isn’t Today’s Vermiculite Okay to Use for Insulation?

Hey Mark,
I am told that the vermiculite currently mined has no asbestos.
Here is the website: http://www.vermiculite.com/

The reason I am interested in using vermiculite as an attic insulation is that it is one of the few materials that is non toxic and non flammable. Fiberglass is flammable and in addition, I hate working with the stuff.

Does anyone know of any other materials other than vermucilite that is both non toxic and non flammable? My problem is that I own a Victorian and there are no firebreaks in the walls and no sheet rock.
David

Hey David,
It is also my understanding that the vermiculite that is currently being mined is tested for asbestos.  And because of that, today’s sources are free from asbestos.  However, in spite of the fact that vermiculite does have many practical uses, and would potentially make a great home insulation, it is not being used that way today.  And, I think you are asking for trouble if you do.

If you eventually try to sell the home, your buyers will have a home inspection performed.  That inspector will more than likely identify your insulation as vermiculite.  Since it is not currently being used as an insulation material, there will be cause to question if it is contaminated with asbestos or not. 

Q. Do I Have Vermiculite Insulation? (Bankrupcy Claims)

Q. Hey Mark!
We live in Las Vegas, NV and have lived in our home for 14 years.  Our home was built in 1978.

The only reason I am becoming more aware of Vermiculite Insulation, is because I saw an ad on TV the other night that stated there is some type of Class Action Lawsuit going on over Vermiculite.  I did not get to jot down the phone number on the advertisement, so if you know anything about this, could you please let me know who is conducting this suit and maybe a phone number to call ?

We have often wondered since we moved into this home, if it was a “sick” home…we all very frequently feel conjested, “clogged up”, …we have never been this way in any of our other homes we owned.

How can we tell if we have Vermiculite in our attic?….

Thank-You!
Alice

Hey Alice,
Thanks for your question.  We recently noticed a sudden spike in vermiculite-related inquiries at http://www.HeyMark.Info and weren’t sure why. Thanks to your question, we became aware of a bankruptcy claim concerning vermiculite insulation. Details on this can be found at http://www.graceclaims.com/index.shtml. Homeowners with vermiculite insulation should take a moment to visit that web site. I will be letting my St. Louis area home inspection clients know about this situation, as well.

To determine if you have vermiculite insulation, I’d suggest that you compare it to some photographs. Vermiculite has fairly distinctive features.

Q. Vermiculite Insulation — Does It Have Asbestos?

Hey Mark,

The home I am selling has vermiculite insulation. The buyer’s inspector said that it is asbestos, and now the buyers want me to remove all of it. That’s going to cost over $10,000.00. Is that really necessary?

Sue

Hey Sue,

Vermiculite insulation MAY contain asbestos. You can have some samples taken from various places in the attic, and have it analyzed, but the results of that testing may not be conclusive. The EPA recommends that you simply leave the insulation alone and don’t disturb it.