My home was built in 1978. The other day, I accidentally scraped the ceiling-light scrape and some dust came out. Should I be concerned about asbestos? I live in Canada
If your house was in the U.S. I would say you very likely have asbestos. 1979 was when the regulations changed and they did away with it.
I don’t know when Canada changed their regulations though. If it was the same as the U.S. then you’ve got a problem. If it was one year earlier (or more) then you’re fine.
Asbestos appears to be a provincial issue. Ontario banned asbestos in certain applications beginning in 1977.
What province are you in?
Alberta
From the Alberta Asbestos Abatement Manual (PDF!):
So, it appears to me anyway, that you may have asbestos in your home.
while you may have asbestos in your ceiling surface treatment, i wouldn’t be concerned about scraping off small amounts (a kernel or two).
You need to test what was scraped off to determine if it has asbestos. I suppose an environmental lab could do it for you. If it does have asbestos, it is best to have a contractor certified in asbestos removal deal with it.
In much the same way it is best to have a surgeon perform surgery, yes.
Get it tested and if it’s asbestos, get a certified asbestos abatement team in to remove it. Otherwise, you may have a good deal of difficulty selling your house, when the time comes. I know for a fact that if I was buying a house that was built during the years asbestos was commonly used and the seller could not provide certification that it had been properly removed, I’d move on.
If you’re asking if you should be concerned about your health, then the answer is no. The big danger of asbestos is long term exposure. The small amount you’re talking about isn’t a problem unless you do the same thing day after day.
The danger is when it becomes ‘friable’, that is, when it becomes brittle and begins flaking away so that there are very small particles in the air that can be breathed in. As far as day to day safety is concerned, hitting it with paint from a paint sprayer will seal it between the paint layer and the ceiling.
I probably don’t have to warn you not to throw darts or golf balls at the ceiling. Or to press bottle caps into it. (I got to take asbestos test samples at a college dorm, once.)
I’m not sure if there will be any difficulty selling the house, if and when you want to do that. In the US, if you were to demolish the house, you’d be required to test for asbestos and remove any found, along with any lead based paint (there’s a scanner that can check for that), any fluorescent lights with mercury in them, and mercury light balasts, etc. The removed materials would have to be transported and disposed of as hazardous waste.
But that’s because the demolition would kick asbestos dust into the air, putting the demolition crew at risk. Not at immediate risk, mind you. The risk is cumulative.
When my wife and I were looking for a new home last year we found a house and put an offer on it. Prior to closing we had the popcorn ceilings tested for asbestos and it came up positive and we walked away from the house. The testing was fairly inexpensive, I think $125 to get it tested. Here are a couple of things I found out while deciding what to do:
1: Although asbestos in ceilings was banned in 1978, but the ban EXCLUDED popcorn martial already produced. So we were told that houses built up until 1982 were a possible problem.
2: getting the contaminated stuff removed is very, very expensive. You can do it yourself, but the risks are high. Bite the bullet and get a professional to do it.
3: Providing you don’t disturb the ceiling, you probably have nothing to fear.
4: in the US at least, once you are aware that your home contains asbestos you are required by law to disclose that fact to any potential buyer. This in turn makes a sale difficult or not impossible.