Testing for asbestos in homes with vermiculite containing materialsCinnaminson, New Jersey - Long before it was known that vermiculite could contain toxic asbestos fibers, up to 35 million homes in the United States were insulated with a vermiculite insulation called Zonolite. Now decades later, the people who lived in these homes and were exposed to asbestos on a daily basis are beginning to show signs of such fatal asbestos induced diseases as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the protective lining of the body’s chest and abdominal cavities and the organs they contain, is caused almost exclusively by prolonged asbestos exposure. When asbestos-containing insulation is disturbed, carcinogenic fibers are released into the air. Without even realizing it, those in the house breath in the fibers, which fester in the lungs, ultimately causing the development of pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma, cancers that affect the lining of the lungs and abdomen respectively.
Asbestos-containing vermiculite products were sold in the U.S. as late as the 1990’s. Because asbestos-related cancers take between 30 and 50 years to develop, the full effects of asbestos exposure via vermiculite may not become visible for another 10 or 20 years.
The only way to tell if a home contains asbestos is to have it tested by professionals. There are many environmental testing companies that homeowners can hire. EMSL Analytical, Inc., based in Cinnaminson, New Jersey, is one of the largest asbestos testing laboratories in the world and has over 30 laboratories across the United States and Canada.
