How Likely Is It That My Popcorn Ceiling Has Asbestos

In the late 1970s the use of asbestos in building products was banned because of the health.

How likely is it that my popcorn ceiling has asbestos.

For many years before the united states department of health and human services determined that asbestos is a known carcinogen manufacturers used asbestos to make many different products including the stuff of popcorn ceilings. Not to worry as there are ways to figure out whether your popcorn ceiling has any asbestos. A portion of acoustic ceiling texture popcorn ceilings possess asbestos. To find out if your old popcorn ceiling contains asbestos you can purchase a test kit or hire an asbestos abatement professional.

That being said you can usually find out from other residents who ve done testing over time. Better known to be called popcorn ceiling stucco ceiling and or even called cottage cheese ceiling and the average for this ceiling in asbestos was generally from one to ten percent asbestos. Popcorn ceilings cottage cheese ceilings or stucco ceilings whatever you call them they re not only an eyesore they also may contain a carcinogen known as asbestos. Depending on the age of your ceiling it s quite possible that it contains asbestos.

Many of these ceilings were made partially out of asbestos a silicate material which was banned in many countries starting in the 1970s. There are six types of asbestos that are used in various ways but the most common type of asbestos found in popcorn ceilings is chrysotile asbestos also referred to as a white asbestos. Blown on textured ceilings aka popcorn may contain asbestos depending on when they were installed. There is no way to tell if you have asbestos in your ceiling unless you have a sample analyzed.

Sometimes you will find amosite brown asbestos and very rarely crocidolite blue asbestos. Asbestos can cause many health problems including lung cancer so it s very important to test your ceilings if they were built prior to the ban. One is that you can purchase a kit that allows you to test your ceiling or you can pay a professional asbestos removal company to visit your home to test your ceiling. Popcorn ceilings were a popular feature of 1960s and 1970s homes.

Asbestos becomes dangerous when the microscopic fibers are released into the air and then ingested or inhaled. The people who work with the material are the most likely to develop an asbestos related disease. The ceiling treatment was commonly used from the late 1950s into the 1980s in homes across the united states because of its ability to hide imperfections in handiwork and its acoustical characteristics. An asbestos ceiling is also called an acoustic ceiling or popcorn ceiling due to its soundproofing qualities and it looks a little like popcorn once it s sprayed on.