# Does fiberglass insulation bug anyone else, or just me? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 1, 2010, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-fiberglass-insulation-bug-anyone-else-or-just-me/534530 "2010-04-01T03:15:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-fiberglass-insulation-bug-anyone-else-or-just-me/534530/21 "2010-04-03T18:01:18Z")
> [@Taomist](#): > > I’ve got a bunch sitting on our patio from when the repairman unwrapped the old water heater and installed the new one. > > I’m wishing he’d taken the insulation WITH him instead of leaving it out there, cause it’s been two weeks and I still haven’t got up the nerve to go stuff it into garbage bags. I won’t let the cats out there either, cause I can just imagine them getting it stuck in their paws, licking it off, and…yah. Talk about painful hairballs! Ugh. Long sleeve sweatshirt and some gloves and you’ll be fine. But I would probably put it right into the garbage (as opposed to stuffing it in a plastic garbage bag) or use one of those big paper lawn bags from home depot, this way you’re not trying to shove it in. ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-fiberglass-insulation-bug-anyone-else-or-just-me/534530/22 "2010-04-03T18:30:45Z")
I used to work at a company that made fiberglass based roofing materials. You could see the dust from it sparkling in the air whenever sunbeams shone into the building. I didn’t have to handle the stuff directly but it just covered the machines so whenever you touched anything in that area you would get it all over your hands. This was in Texas, in a plant with no AC,where you’d have to wear long sleeves a lot of the time. You’d sweat all day long and it would stick to your skin and get under your collar and it was just miserable. The people that did work directly with it were the people it didn’t bother. Otherwise, like **jsgoddess** said, they quit. Usually within the first few days. ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-fiberglass-insulation-bug-anyone-else-or-just-me/534530/23 "2010-04-04T02:12:48Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > I’ve never met a carpenter that didn’t hate the stuff. Count me in that group. Even now, there are times when I have to crawl in an attic, and I try to cover myself with clothing as much as possible, get out, take off my clothes and hose myself down. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-fiberglass-insulation-bug-anyone-else-or-just-me/534530/24 "2010-04-04T02:59:52Z")
In high school I worked part time at a place that manufactured printed circuit boards. I spent many of my days using a big fancy router to trim the edges of hundreds of boards, producing great clouds of fiberglass particles, in spite of the shop vac that was sucking the dust right at the router bit. I would listen to music as I worked using a Walkman cassette player that I had put in a ziploc baggie. I stuffed the headphones inside my hearing protectors and went to work. After a year there I had killed multiple tape players, even though they had been encased in plastic bags. It made me wonder what was happening to my lungs. Oh yes… the guys there used Dawn detergent to wash their arms after a long day. I don’t remember if it really helped much, but I did what they did and survived. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-fiberglass-insulation-bug-anyone-else-or-just-me/534530.md?page=1)