Residential Asbestos - Popcorn Ceilings

By Joseph Devine

Throughout history, since the Ancient Greeks, asbestos has been loved for its durability and fire retardant properties. The Greeks used the fiber for table cloths that, when they got dirty, could just be tossed into the fire to be cleaned. With time, humans have used asbestos in a wide variety of products. In the 20th century, the uses expanded as the number of items needing to be insulated expanded as well.

In addition to its insulation properties, asbestos was used in homes not only to insulate but to make them safer in the event of a fire. In this regard, asbestos was added to insulation as well as any number of other things. By adding a fire retardant material to homes, it was thought that everyone that lived in them would be safer. One of the biggest areas for asbestos in a home was in a popcorn ceiling.

Popcorn ceilings were not really ceilings but rather a spray-on coating applied to an existing ceiling. They were excellent for covering up any blemishes in the construction. In addition, they added a sound-proofing quality to the ceiling that made it less likely for a noise in the room to carry throughout the house. In these ways, they were extremely useful.

Like all textured finishes on walls or ceilings, popcorn ceilings have their downsides. One huge downside is that they are very difficult to clean and also provide many nooks and crannies for dust and dirt to hide. The bigger, more important, downside is that they frequently contain asbestos. Not all popcorn ceilings that were applied in a roughly 30 year span contain asbestos but many do.

When the ceiling contains asbestos, it is very dangerous to put up a ceiling fan or drill anything into the ceiling. Another huge problem is that when they are cleaned, the asbestos in the ceiling easily flakes off and becomes airborne. This is because the asbestos in a popcorn ceiling is extremely friable. To say that it is friable is to say that the asbestos easily escapes the confines of whatever structure it is in. Asbestos in flooring materials is not nearly as friable as that in a ceiling.

A huge hazard arises when a family or couple or individual buys an older home with the intent of remodeling it. Many older homes in older neighborhoods have established landscaping and lots of charm making them popular for remodeling. Popcorn ceilings are not "in style" anymore for homes and so they are one of the first things that a home will have ripped out of it. This, if done improperly or without checking for asbestos first, can cause huge health hazards and expose everyone to asbestos.

The [http://www.mesolawsuit.com]mesothelioma attorneys of Williams Kherkher know what it takes to prove an asbestos exposure or mesothelioma case. They are dedicated to ensuring justice for each and every one of their clients.

Joseph Devine

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