Dear Suzy,
Should I paint over asbestos shingles (which seems like the best idea) or
should I remove them? Two or three people have suggested that I remove the
shingles in order to restore the wood siding on my 1946 nouveau-bungalow
starter home to its original look. This suggestion was not from anyone I can
ask to help me do this, so I think I know better. The asbestos shingles appear
to stay painted longer than wood.
I’m not sure it’s even legal to dispose of these shingles if I were to take
them off. I like them much better than vinyl siding. In fact, cosmetically,
they are sort of nostalgic because my grandparents had them on their
house.
Can you give me any reasons not to leave them alone? — Dan P.
Dear Dan,
Nope, I can’t. And if bell-bottoms and platform shoes, not to mention
iridescent eye shadow and double-knit polyester, can make a come back, can
asbestos shingles be far behind? The way I see it, you’re already ahead of a
certain trend.
After all, it was on the Web, the most futurist dimension available to mere
mortals at this time, where I searched for asbestos information and found
31,806 sites. Oddly enough, about 31,804 of them had to do with asbestos long
johns and asbestos corks, defensive weapons against getting “flamed” on-line.
The other two sites dealt with the asbestos we know and love as a carcinogen, a
fire retardant, and an efficient insulator with which we unwittingly filled up
our buildings until about 20 years ago. (I’ll bet it was someone in
bell-bottoms who first discovered the propensity of asbestos fibers to collect
in people’s lungs and stomach and wreck all kinds of havoc.)
At the Ctenvironet site, the musical question, “Are exterior asbestos shingles
a health risk?” was answered thus:
“When properly installed on the exterior of a home, asbestos-containing
products present little risk to human health. However, if siding is worn or
damaged, spray painting it will help seal-in the fibers.”
The site titled “Asbestos in the Home” concurred on this laissez-faire policy, maintaining that “Asbestos is only dangerous when it’s deteriorated to
the point where its tiny fibers can be released into the air and inhaled.
Removal is generally the last resort, because it involves disturbing the
material and sending more fibers into the air.”
While it’s not illegal for a homeowner to remove asbestos materials from his
own house, it is kinda stupid, especially considering the rigorous disposal
requirements. First you have to notify the local air pollution control agency
and/or health department about the removal. Once you have the noxious stuff
ripped off, it must be sealed in a transparent 6ml plastic bag, sealed with
tape, labeled with a sign reading: “DANGER; CONTAINS ASBESTOS FIBERS, AVOID
CREATING DUST — CANCER AND LUNG DISEASE HAZARD,” then placed in a second
transparent 6 ml bag, sealed with tape, and hauled in a closed vehicle — not a
trip I’d like to take — to an appropriate asbestos waste disposal site.
And as if the poor beleaguered tobacco industry isn’t picked on enough
already, the following warning was issued in bold capital letters:
“One of the most important facts we have learned about the hazards of
asbestos is that almost all of the cases of asbestos-related lung cancer
occurred among people who smoked and were exposed to asbestos. Because of some
interaction in the body, people who are exposed to asbestos and also smoke have
an increased risk of lung cancer 50-90 times greater than people who do
not smoke and are not exposed to asbestos.”
If all this doesn’t convince you to ignore the stupid advice of vocally
helpful, but physically lazy friends (have you ever read the tale of the Little
Red Hen?), check out http://www.ctenvironet.com/absindex.htm and
http://www.epa.gov./docs/ARD-R5/asbestos/homeasb.htm.
If you’d like to learn more about building a benign home sans the
creepy fibers, check out the slide show on the cob method of building that uses
clay, straw and water, which will be presented by Becky Bee, a specialist in
sculpting with earth materials Thursday, Sept. 26 at 7pm in the Auditorium of
Casa de Luz, 1601 Toomey Road. A $4 fee is requested.
This article appears in September 20 • 1996 and September 20 • 1996 (Cover).