One of the most commonly overlooked things when dealing with insulation is the health risk. Attic insulation is dangerous no matter what, it’s actually one of the most commonly encountered factors in lung cancer.
Most of the homes built between the 1930 and the 1960 were insulated using fiberglass which was thought at that time to be the best type of insulation, boy they were wrong. One thing that’s actually weird is that fiberglass was never approved to be used as insulating material for the attic yet it was the most commonly encountered insulating material. Because of it’s nature fiberglass is actually being compared to asbestos to a certain level regarding the diseases it may cause.
Mold or fungus, the nasty greenish looking things that you commonly see in attics, so common yet so underestimated. Besides the fact that mold can damage the structural integrity of the building by eating away at the wood and drywall it can also cause severe breathing problems. Although insulated attics aren’t usually a good environment for fungus growth, in some circumstances where dust get trapped in the attic mold can occur. Dust alone isn’t the single contributing factor to the appearance of mold there are others as well, like a humid climate and moisture.
Asbestos has to be one of the worst insulating materials that exist on the market. Because of it’s structure, asbestos was considered at a certain point one of the best thermal insulation materials until they discovered the diseases it can cause.
Constructed of microscopic fibers, it can become airborne when disturbed and inhaled into the lungs. Once in the lungs they can cause numerous types of serious health problems including:
- Asbestos is a serious, non-cancerous disease of the lungs that is caused by inhaling asbestos fibers. The lung tissue is irritated and scarring occurs, making it hard for oxygen to get into the blood. There is no effective treatment for asbestosis.
- Lung Cancer causes the most deaths related to asbestos exposure.
- Mesothelioma a rare form of cancer that is found in the membrane of the lung, chest, abdomen, and heart and, in almost all cases, is linked to exposure to asbestos.