Patching and Plastering - Asbestos in Plaster....Questions

I have a condo/townhouse that was built in 1967. I am remodelling the kitchen and have some questions regarding plaster and asbestos. Let me give you guys a bit of a background first!

One of the kitchen walls is shared with the unit beside me. Underneath the plaster is a cement block wall that goes from the basement up to the attic. This obviously is a firewall.

Now, Whoever originally built this house must not have primered the walls prior to painting because I have managed to easily chip off all of the paint on four walls. I chiped off the paint on the walls so that the new paint I apply wouldn't peel down the road. So in essence, I have four bare walls with only plaster on them. I want to do some repair work and then sand the walls smooth before I primer and paint, but I want to know (if possible) if there is asbestos in the plaster that is on these walls before I start creating a house full of dust containing harmful asbestos!!! :eek:

The plaster on my walls seems different than what I pictured. It looks like the builder used 2'X6' sheets (similar to drywall but much thicker). The sheets are installed just like drywall. Somewhere embedded into these sheets is wire mesh. Then to finish it off, the entire wall is plastered/mudded. The total thickness of the wall is probably 1.5 inches.

Based on what I am describing, does anyone know if the plaster on my walls contain asbestos? :wall:

Thanks for the help,

G

I don't know if anyone here is going to tell you that you have no asbestos. If you are worried have it tested. If it does contain asbestos be prepared for a huge expense.

Another option is to primer all the walls with Zinsser 123 or some form of Kilz, or maybe something special for asbestos. then do the repairs then primer the repairs then paint.

I am not going to tell you that you will not get asbestosis but as a kid my house had pipes in the basement wrapped in asbestos that I and my friends routinely "disturbed" to the extent that I remember seeing it in the air. To the best of my knowledge I do not have asbestosis and I have no friends who have it either. Age = 50 +

In advance of any replies please be advised " I am not saying asbestos is not dangerous or that you wil not be affected by it"

Alright, thanks. I am going to look into getting the plaster tested before I begin any sanding :alarm:

Hopefully, the results will be favorable!!

Progress, Progress, Progress.....

Well, I made several phone calls today and spoke to an asbestos removal expert and an asbestos testing lab. Heres the low down:

1) Asbestos expert said that plaster was NEVER made with asbestos, but rather, the builder or people who applied the plaster would mix asbestos in with the plaster before application to help bonding and fire resistance. I don't know how accurate that is, but it seems to make sense to me.

2) I contacted a lab located two hours from my house that will test a sample and will give me the PPM, percentage and type of asbestos (if any) in the plaster. I sent the sample today, so I should have results within 7 days via email. According to the asebestos expert, plaster containing 0.25PPM or 2% is okay to sand without a special breathing appartaus, etc. :thumbup:

I'll keep everyone posted.

*CROSSES HIS FINGERS*

I would just add to this thread one thing.There should be far more concern from the possible lead content of the "1967" paint you're chipping off and sanding than any asbestos fears.It is quite likely that vintage paint had lead in it which you will be releasing into the air if you sand it especially since it apparently isn't very well bonded to the surface of the walls.

Good point - thats something I never thought of......I think I will send another sample off and have it tested for lead content. From what I have researched on the internet, chances are high that the paint used in my home in fact contained lead, so that may be redundent.

Any suggestions on how to reduce the risk of exposure or is it inevitable because I will be sanding?

The paint came off extremely easy and there is absolutely no paint left on the walls. I disposed of the paint and clean up immediately after. For whatever reason, the paint did not bond to the walls well at all.

Here is a clip I pulled from Health Canada:

How do I know if my home contains lead-based paint?
Paints made before 1950 contained large amounts of lead. In fact, some paint made in the 1940s contained up to 50% lead by dry weight. If your home was built before 1960, it was likely painted with lead-based paint. Since the 1950's, the use of lead has been more common in exterior paint than interior paint. Subsequently, the use of lead in paints decreased significantly. Currently, under the Hazardous Products Act, lead levels in indoor paint are limited to 0.5 per cent by weight. There are proposed regulatory changes for both interior and exterior consumer paints to limit lead in paints to 0.06 per cent by dry weight. In homes built after 1980, there is little need for concern about lead levels in interior paints. All post-1992 consumer paint produced in Canada or the US for indoor use is virtually lead-free.


This clip was pulled from the National Safety Council:

How can I check my home to see if it contains lead-based paint hazards?
If you live in a home built before 1960, it is very likely that it contains some lead paint. Homes built between 1960 and 1978 may also contain lead paint, but they are less and less likely to, the closer you get to 1978, when the Consumer Product Safety Commission finally issued its ban against lead-based paint. If you live in a home built before 1978 that also has been allowed to deteriorate for a few years, you may have a lead-contaminated dust problem. To find out if your home contains lead paint or a lead-based paint hazard, you should hire a professional.


Neither of these clips give me a definite answer on whether or not the paint in my home contained lead, but it seems like I have a 50/50 chance either way. I think I will go ahead with the test though just to make sure.

What are the chances that there is any lead or lead dust on the walls even though ALL of the paint was been removed (except for the ceiling)?

Thanks.

don't quote me but if you don't have kids I wouldn't worry too much about the lead if here even is any. It mostly affects kids who eat it.take a look at some of these sights you may find some info you can use.

http://www.google.com/search?q=lead+contamination+%2B+adults

I have a four year old son. My wife and I were talking tonight and we feel its necessary to bring him to the pediatrician and see if he thinks that my son should have his lead level tested since I have already removed the paint and kicked up considerable dust. The good thing though is that my son doesn't eat paint chips!

From what I understand, if high levels of lead are treated early, there are no complications or long term problems. There is medication to reduce lead levels over a period of time. The doctor will continue testing the patient until lead levels are normal again.

I am not terribly worried about my son, since I know he is in good hands with the pediatrician and he will guide us accordingly. I more feel dumb that I didn't research lead in paint first before I went crazy removing it.

There is still some loose paint chips on the ceiling where the walls join the ceiling. I am going to leave that alone until I get the tests results back for asbestos (and now lead). I will follow the advice of the pediatrician since he probably deals with similar matters concerning lead paint and renovations frequently.

Hopefully the lad didn't digest too much of the stuff, I'm sure he'll be fine. ;)

Should saved the money on the asbestos testing, the lead paint is 99.9% for sure positive, if it's paint from the 60's. When you get the big visible flakes off the walls & ceiling, primer it real good with any the products mentioned earlier in the thread. Beyond that ask up in the Painting forum and the guys will give you specific brand recommendations I'm sure for your application. I'd personaly choose the Zinnser primer and a good acryllic finish paint. HTH

Well, I have some mixed news - good and bad. :( Bear in mind this only applies to the kitchen, since I didn't scrap paint off in any other room. I won't be doing so in the future either!

The Good:

The asbestos test came back today and it was negative. :thumbup:

The Bad:

I went to a paint store today and purchased a Lead Test Kit. The results came back positive for lead, but it looks like the paint wasn't overly loaded with it based on the test. :thumbdn:

Since I scrapped all of the paint off and the walls are left completely bare, I decided to also test the bare plaster walls. The results were negative for that.

My Conclusion:

There was/is obviously lead in the paint. However, now the paint is completely gone (except for the ceiling). Therefore, my only worries are how much lead dust was kicked up during the time I removed the paint from the walls. Since I didn't seal off the room, the dust could have travelled virtually anywhere.

I think its safe to say that there is no lead on the walls now that the paint has been removed. That means I should be okay to sand and get some sealer on the walls and ceiling.

As for my family's exposure to the lead. Well, my son will be getting his blood taken tommorrow and it will be analyized for the lead content in his body. Hopefully all will be okay and his lead level will be normal, or at least not terribly high.

In the meantime, I am removing everything from the kitchen and sealing it off completely in order to complete the rest of my work and get some primer/sealer on the walls.

Thanks for all the help and advice.

G