Asbestos and lead paint are hazards to identify and leave alone, not to work around: suspect asbestos in buildings from before 1980 in floor tiles, pipe wrap, textured ceilings, cement-fibre siding and duct coverings, and lead paint in most homes from before 1978, and do not cut, break, sand, scrape or burn either. Intact material does little harm, so leave it undisturbed and unsalvaged; if disturbance cannot be avoided, wet it first, wear a P100 respirator and never dry-sweep.
Part of Building Material Recovery
Old buildings are full of materials that were safe while sealed and harmful once broken into dust or fume. The harm is slow and cumulative, which is why it is easy to underrate on a site where collapse and cuts are the visible risks.
The Right Answer For Asbestos And Lead Is Usually To Walk Away From The Material
You cannot reliably identify asbestos by eye; only the age of the building and the type of material give a warning. The parent article gives the pattern: asbestos was used extensively in buildings from before 1980, and in some materials until 2000. Lead paint is present in most homes built before 1978.
Asbestos is found in:
- floor tiles (9 by 9 inch tiles are a telltale)
- pipe insulation, white fibrous wrapping on heating and plumbing pipes
- popcorn or textured ceiling coatings
- cement-fibre roof shingles and siding
- duct tape and joint compound on HVAC ducts
Asbestos is dangerous when disturbed (cut, broken, sanded, crumbled); intact material is not a hazard (parent article). The fibres are invisible in the air, and harm shows up years later, so the absence of symptoms proves nothing. Therefore: do not salvage it, do not break it, and do not clean it up with a broom or a vacuum, which spreads the fibres.
Lead paint is hazardous when scraped, sanded or burned. For lumber that will not be sanded, surface paint is not a handling hazard; do not eat it or breathe its dust (parent article). Do not burn painted wood from old buildings. Older plumbing may include lead pipe or lead solder; do not reuse it for drinking water.
Other hazards in the same buildings (parent article):
- Mould. Water-damaged buildings grow mould within 48 hours; wear a respirator in them.
- Electrical. Assume wires may be live if any local power generation exists.
- Natural gas. Lines may still hold pressure; a rotten-egg smell is a warning, but absence of smell does not prove absence of gas. Never use a flame to look for a leak.
- Biological. Rodent droppings (hantavirus risk), wasp and bee nests and snakes.
- Treated lumber. Pressure-treated wood should not be burned (toxic fumes) or used where it touches food.
What You Need
- A P100 respirator with spare filters, for dust. A P100 filters particles only; it does not protect against gas or vapour.
- Disposable coveralls, gloves and eye protection.
- A spray bottle of water for wetting material that must be disturbed.
- Soap and water for washing hands and face before eating.
Method: Identify, Leave, Or Control
Step 1: Date the building. Pre-1980 means treat the materials listed above as asbestos until proven otherwise; pre-1978 means treat the paint as lead.
Step 2: Decide to leave it. If the job can be done without touching the suspect material, do that. Mark the area so others keep out.
Step 3: If disturbance cannot be avoided, wet the material before and during work to hold the dust down, and avoid power tools that make dust. The parent article lists an N95 or P100 respirator for suspected asbestos; use P100, the more protective of the two.
Step 4: Never dry-sweep or dry-scrape. Wet down and wipe.
Step 5: Clean up yourself. Remove coveralls outside, bag them, and wash hands and face. Wash clothes separately from household laundry.
Step 6: Keep children and pregnant people away from lead dust and from sites with broken asbestos.
Common Mistakes
- Salvaging asbestos tiles or sheets “because they are intact.” Moving them breaks them.
- Burning old painted wood in the stove. Lead goes into the smoke.
- Wearing a dust mask for asbestos. A simple mask does not protect against fine fibres.
- Eating on site without washing. Lead dust travels on hands.
Safety
The harm is invisible and arrives years later
Asbestos fibres and lead dust cause illness without immediate symptoms. Do not cut, drill, break, sand, scrape or burn suspected asbestos or old paint. Do not sweep or vacuum dry debris. Wear a P100 respirator and disposable coveralls if disturbance is unavoidable, and wash before eating. Do not burn painted or treated wood. A respirator that does not fit tightly protects far less, so it must seal against the face.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Personal Safety During Demolition — protective gear and working in pairs
- Combine with: Insulation & Roofing Materials — where old insulation and shingles raise the same question