Fiberglass- Health Risk? Wenatchee and Chelan Home Inspections

Paul,

I agree with you. It's funny because cellulose is a better insulator anyway and does not have the same issues. I really have never like fiberglass that much.

Robert,

I think I may have to politely disagree with you on this one. If you just took the scarring mechanism alone that I would assume that goes along with this I would have to say there is a risk. Below is another excerpt and they describe route of exposure by inhalation. Prior studies were performed by implantation but this study used other mechanisms.

I do have a note out to one of my very best friends who happens to be a leading immunologist in the dendritic cells and has a very good grasp of immunological response mechanisms. I have had similar conversation with him on Asbestos.

I not trying to be an alarmist but I have suspected that Fiberglass would get listed.

Excerpt-

Glass wool fibers caused tumors in two rodent species, at several different tissue sites, and by several different routes of exposure. Individual types of glass wool fibers were studied in chronic carcinogenicity bioassays in rats and/or hamsters exposed by a number of routes, including inhalation, intratracheal instillation of fiber suspensions, surgical intrathoracic implantation, and direct exposure to the pleural or peritoneal cavity by injection.

Chris,

My assumption has alway been that if a sustance is a known irritant that repeated exposure usually leads to other conditions.

When I performed work with hazardous material response you always asses risk by exposure level and duration.

Here is a OSHA qualification to occupational exposure-

Occupational exposure levels are set to protect workers from the short- and long-term harmful health effects that may be associated with chemical (e.g., vapors, particulates, fibers) and physical agents (e.g., heat, noise, vibration). Exposure limits may be expressed as 8-hour time-weighted averages, or may be expressed for shorter exposures, such as ceiling levels or 15-minute short-term exposure levels.

Charlie,

No doubt. I think we will be writing it up in the future. Maybe I will start seeing cellulose used more in the future over here. It is almost non-existent.

Jim,

It is a sad fact that industry will suppress possible issues because it is harmful to their industry. It also is a common practice to disseminate confusing and weak counter arguments to cast doubt. 

Steve,

I would always wear one. I carry two respirators to every job and never enter the crawl or attic without one. I figured I have done enough damage to my lungs over the years from the early days of hazardous response work. This is before we went to always being on air. We made a decision a few years in that is was not worth the risk to not be on air.

Lloyd,

Thank you. There are many risks. But it is based on how much exposure we have to that risk. Fiberglass is all around us in our homes.  So we have an increased risk from it. I use respiratory protection when I am in the attics and crawlspaces because I know I will have repeated exposure there.

We all take risks in our everyday life. So it's just which ones you want to take.

Dan,

Thank you. I always wear respiratory protection but that is a habit I developed a long time ago.

The worst thing about all this is that fiberglass is not the better product as an insulator. It just the most widely used.

Nate,

This is the latest study from 2011. So what you have stated may not be the latest information. Many in the world of immunology suspected this already.