Fiberglass contamination information sheet

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

^How to tell whether your house is contaminated with fiberglass Page 2 of 3

scientifically acceptable tests. The test mediums may be taken to a laboratory and analyzed under a scanning electron microscope or similar device. Such analysis can tell you how many fibers there are and their sizes, but may not be able to tell you the composition of the fibers (i.e. glass, asbestos, slag etc.)

Your hygienist may also be able to do a "wipe" test. To do one of these, find some area in the house which does not get disturbed or dusted often. Wipe some of the dust onto a perfectly clean cloth or paper medium, and place that into a clean plastic bag. Whatever shows up on that towel is what you are breathing.

Some environmental testing companies offer lower-cost testing which you can do yourself, then send to their lab. One such company is Pure Air Controls of Tampa, Florida,

As soon as you surmise there is a problem with fiberglass in your home, begin keeping detailed notes. Include any health symptoms you or your family members experience each day, any professional interaction which occurs (doctor visits, heating/ac repairmen, landlords, builders), as well as anything you may observe about the house (AC on, conditions very dusty; for instance). These types of notes will help you detect patterns in your symptoms, and can be especially useful if you ever decide to take legal action.

If there are significant amounts of fiberglass in your HVAC system, it may be helpful to inspect the system. If the system is located in the attic, and is immersed in fiberglass, this is a potentially dangerous mission. You will need complete safety gear.

Don a respirator, eye protection, gloves, long pants and long sleeves and go up into the attic. The minimum respiratory protection you should wear is a half-face respirator fitted with HEPA filters. The 3M 6000-series respirator costs around $10 through industrial supply catalogs, and HEPA cartridges for this type of respirator are readily available. The respirator should fit snugly over the mouth and nose, with no leakage. Tyvek coveralls are ideal for rummaging around a fiberglass-laden attic, but in a pinch blue jeans and a hooded nylon windbreaker will do (hood up and tied).

Once in the attic, note the type of insulation used (usually a label from one of the insulation bags is stapled to a rafter) and inspect all duct work carefully. Look for gaps in between the duct sections, at comers and "Y"s. Pay close attention to areas of the ductwork which are immersed in insulation. If the ducts are immersed in blown-in insulation, a good indicator of a gap is missing insulation near the hole. The voids are caused when insulation is sucked into the duct and then distributed around the house.

Watch your step; disturb the insulation and ducts as little as possible. Disturbing the insulation just makes it airborne, and more dangerous. Disturbing the ducts Increases the possibility that your actions will open a gap somewhere in the system.

If you find small gaps, you may be able to seal them with ordinary duct tape. In a proper duct installation, junctions in the ducts are sealed with tape. If yours are not, go ahead and tape up all of the joints you can.

If the gaps are large, there will likely be a lot of insulation missing. Large amounts of missing insulation virtually guarantees it is all over your house, and throughout the HVAC system. You may wish to check the air handler, the unit providing pressure for your HVAC system. The intake side of the air handler may literally be clogged with insulation. Much of the insulation will get caught in the filter which should be intercept air going into the handler unit. In some cases, the intake duct may be completely clogged with fibers.

If someone tells you no fibers can make it through the air handler, don't believe it. The smallest, most dangerous fibers can make it through. Furthermore, the air handler tends to chop the fibers which do pass through, making them smaller.

In any case, a plugged air handler intake forces the unit to work much harder, increases your power bills.

http://www.sustainableenterprises.com/fin/House/sleuthing.htm 3/28/02

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