Home Education How to tell the difference between cellulose and asbestos insulation

How to tell the difference between cellulose and asbestos insulation

by Uneeb Khan
How to tell the difference between cellulose and asbestos insulation

We can’t put emphasis enough on the topic that asbestos is a highly dangerous substance. It was not until the 1980’s that its dangerous effects came to light before the world. As asbestos was highly used as an insulation material so it was evident that there was a need for something that is equally effective as asbestos in terms of insulation material but won’t arise concerns that would affect the health of residents. This is when cellulose came into the picture. Cellulose is a popular insulation material that is safe and won’t arise health concerns.

Brief details of asbestos use and its ban

Before we get more into the details of asbestos and cellulose it is better that we briefly discuss the cruel nature of asbestos. Basically, asbestos use as an insulating agent in the building material was started in the 1880s and for over a century its use was considered the basic thing in building material. It was heavily used in building materials because of its unique properties. However, it was discovered in the 1980s that most of the health issues in the residents or the people exposed to the asbestos in such buildings are because of the asbestos. 

The federal government took various initiatives to limit the use of asbestos as building materials by partially banning it, but that was not enough. It was not until 2000 that its use was completely banned as an insulating agent. So, if you think you are exposed to asbestos at your house or office then you need asbestos abatement services ASAP. In case, you are based in NYC then you are in luck because Kac solutions are offering its best asbestos abatement NYC services in your area. 

Despite the banning

Despite the banning and all the measures adopted by the federal government, it was impossible to ban and demolish every building that has asbestos in it in any form. So, the wise choice you can make is if you think your place has some kind of asbestos exposure then it is better that you hire professional asbestos testing services to make sure that you are in safe conditions. Asbestos testing services are being offered by several companies in almost every area. Let’s say you need an asbestos inspection NYC or an asbestos inspection NJ then you can reach any authentic trustable asbestos testing services provider which will do the testing for you to make sure that you are not prone to any kind of threat.

Comparison of asbestos and cellulose insulation

So, back to how you can tell asbestos and cellulose insulation are different. Reasonably, we should discuss their properties first but we don’t want to tire you with the extra details so we will take a unique approach by discussing their properties side by side so you would better understand how different they are.

Corrosion and heat resistance

It is a general misconception that if something is hazardous then it must be man-made and we believe many of you think about asbestos in this scenario as well. However, you may be surprised to hear that asbestos is a natural substance that is generally flexible and soft but has great corrosion-resistant and heat-resistant properties. Whereas, cellulose is a mixture of numerous substances like cardboard, hemp, straw, newspaper, and many other substances to make it that flexible which asbestos naturally is. Moreover, to make it heat resistant it is treated with boric acid before its use in any kind of building material.

Fire suppression and insulation

From the 1950s onwards for almost 40 years asbestos was used heavily in the construction sector because of its fire-resistant and corrosive-free nature. This is the reason why you still found asbestos in the dry walls, tiles, and attic of some old places. Now, we are discussing it is worth mentioning that if they are not disturbed and asbestos fibers are not released into the air then they won’t cause any problems. As asbestos fibers are airborne so if they are released into the air then besides vacating the place there is no other choice you are left. 

In comparison, cellulose is of two types dry cellulose and wet spray. Builders use blowers to spray the dry cellulose on the walls to make them fire-resistant or use the spray to wet spray cellulose on the newly built walls. The only difference between these types is that water is used in a wet spray which makes it more sealing. Moreover, recycled compounds are used in the formation of cellulose so it is a great sustainable initiative in the construction sector.

Read more informative articles on businesszag.com

Related Posts

Businesszag logo

Businesszag is an online webpage that provides business news, tech, telecom, digital marketing, auto news, and website reviews around World.

Contact us: info@businesszag.com

@2022 – Businesszag. All Right Reserved. Designed by Techager Team