# asbestos

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asbestos/136724>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 14, 2002, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asbestos/136724 "2002-11-14T15:12:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![paulr2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5e9695/32.png) [@paulr2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulr2)\
**Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asbestos/136724/1 "2002-11-14T15:12:04Z")

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While going through the inspection of my soon-to-be new house the inspector noted that the boiler is insulated with asbestos & recommended getting it professionally removed. Apparently it’s only a threat when it is deteriorating & becomes airborne… It is crumbing a bit, however my question is this… Instead of paying some dude to get dressed up like an astronaut why couldn’t I just smother it with heat resistant paint? I mean as long as I cake the stuff on while sporting my stylish protective threads/mask it should be alright & save me a few bob, right?

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**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\
**Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asbestos/136724/2 "2002-11-14T17:14:17Z")

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Sounds like you haven’t bought it yet. Make the current owners remove it as a condition of the sale. I can’t believe that there isn’t some law coming into play regarding the sale of a home containing a known health hazard.

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**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asbestos/136724/3 "2002-11-14T17:59:36Z")

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You certainly wouldn’t be the first to go that route:  
[Sealing Asbestos](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&safe=off&as_qdr=all&q=+%22sealing+asbestos%22)  
Here’s a [heat resistant sealant](http://www.encasement.com/safe.htm).

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**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\
**Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asbestos/136724/4 "2002-11-14T19:43:39Z")

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I’ve spent the last couple years working for a company that specializes in asbestos abatement and here’s my $.02:

Your inspector is correct. Asbestos is only harmful when its fibres are released into the atmosphere. The risk to your lungs is approximately on par with smoking and is cumulative, so it takes ten or more years for exposure to have any effect. The asbestos insulation on furnaces and boilers is typically in paper form and very well bound up in the matrix of that paper. If, however, you’re worried because it is deteriorating in spots, you can encapsulate it, as you suggested and **Squink** added to. Or, if you have the right tools and are feeling really ambitious, you can remove it yourself–in Canada you do not require special certification to remove asbestos paper, which is defined as a low-risk procedure (although there are a few hoops to jump through with your local Occupational Health and Safety branch. If I were you, I’d either encapsulate it or drop the $400 and have it removed by pros.