Fibreglass insulation

[rwand1]

Can anyone confirm for me that Fibreglass insulation has been classed as a carcinogen, apparently I have been told that a warning has now been placed on the packaging?

I have also heard that PVC will be the next thing to be banned. Has anyone else heard that too?

[rwand1]

This is interesting

http://old.betterinsulation.com/Timeline.htm

http://www.mesothel.com/pages/ducts.htm

[rwand1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinyl_chloride

[Mario A. Kyriacou, CHI]

Originally Posted by rwand1

Can anyone confirm for me that Fibreglass insulation has been classed as a carcinogen, apparently I have been told that a warning has now been placed on the packaging?

I have also heard that PVC will be the next thing to be banned. Has anyone else heard that too?

Ray

I don't know if it is a carcinogen or not but what I do know is it can't be healthy breathing this crap[fibres]. I have been installing this stuff for years, that and smoking has probably reduced my lifespan by 20 years. Working on the smoking but the damage has been done with fiberglass.
</IMG>

[phinsperger]

My understanding is that any particulate matter that enters the lungs and lodges itself in the cell walls can eventually cause cancer. Fiberglass insualltion has been know for a long time to release fine particles when disturbed.I liked the timeline link. I haven't heard of a banning of PVC ....yet.

[rwand1]

I said many years ago that fibreglass would become the next known carcinogen I think it will be right up there with Asbestos, time will tell. As far as I know warning labels have not yet been placed on Canadian Fibreglass insulation, but that will likely happen.

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by rwand1

This is interesting

http://old.betterinsulation.com/Timeline.htm

http://www.mesothel.com/pages/ducts.htm

So we should take as authoritative someone who is promoting Foam insulation?

Not to mention a nearly 7 year old article from a retired and aparently alarmist asbestos worker.

This is classic follow the money scare tactics. Believe if you want but I'll wait for something a bit more official.

Remember Silicone breast implants?

Billions of dollars in bogus settlements, a destroyed company and the lack of availability of other useful silicone medical products. The lawyers got rich and it was all based on junk science. Subsequent studies have proved there was no added health risk from the use of these products.

History can be a great teacher if one pays attention.

[Marcel R. Cyr]

A few ingredients are listed here for the ones questioning hazards.

http://www.industrialinsulation.com/...et_oc_msds.pdf

Hope this helps.

Marcel

[Kenton H. Shepard, CMI]

US Health and Human Services...

How can synthetic vitreous fibers affect my health?

When synthetic vitreous fibers are suspended in air they can cause irritation of the eyes, the nose and throat, and parts of the lung. When these fibers contact the skin, they may also cause irritation. These effects are reversible and disappear shortly after exposure stops.
Animal studies show that repeatedly breathing air containing a lot of synthetic vitreous fibers can lead to inflammation and fibrosis of the lung. If pulmonary inflammation continues over a long period of time, a slow build up of scar tissue may occur in the lungs and in the membrane encasing the lungs called the pleura. This effect is called pulmonary fibrosis or pleural fibrosis. Glass fibers commonly used in home insulation materials did not cause fibrosis in animals, but refractory ceramic fibers did.
You are unlikely to develop long-term pulmonary inflammation or pulmonary fibrosis from synthetic vitreous fibers, unless you are exposed to very dusty conditions daily for many years. Studies of workers from factories that make synthetic vitreous fibers used in home insulation materials did not find abnormal numbers of cases of long-term pulmonary inflammation, breathing problems, or changes in chest x-rays. Some workers who made refractory ceramic fibers showed changes in chest x-rays that are called pleural plaques, but their ability to breathe was normal. Pleural plaques are small areas of very mildly scarred pleural tissue.
top
How likely are synthetic vitreous fibers to cause cancer?

You are unlikely to develop cancer from breathing in air with small amounts of synthetic vitreous fibers. Studies of workers from factories that make synthetic vitreous fibers have not found increased rates of lung cancer or cancer of the pleura, called mesothelioma. Animals exposed for life to air containing refractory ceramic fibers showed increased rates of lung cancer and mesothelioma, but animals exposed to insulation glass wools and stone wools did not.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) determined that insulation glass wool, stone wool, and slag wool, and continuous filament glass are not classifiable as to carcinogenicity to humans because of the inadequate evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and the relatively low biopersistence of these materials. IARC determined that refractory ceramic fibers are possibly carcinogenic to humans because of their relatively high biopersistence and the findings of cancer in animals that repeatedly breathed in high levels of refractory ceramic fibers. The EPA has classified refractory ceramic fibers as a probable human carcinogen.

[Brian A. MacNeish]

The warning to properly protect yourself from nuisance dust has been on Canadian fiberglass products for at least 10 years or more (to the best of my recollection). It was placed on the bags because in an effort to make 'glass less itchy and irritating, the size of the fiber was made smaller and began to approach the size of asbestos fibers (still 10-100 times larger) which were known to have carcenogenic properties as well as scarring deep lung tissue. The label was a precautionary move; they erred on the side of safety as some of the above copied articles still suggest.

There is a tendancy to create a "sky is falling" scenario for more and more products. Why? Because someone can make lots of $$$$$ from this scenario. My statement as to how some firms work is "Scare the sh_t out of them and then pick their pockets".

Don't get me wrong; I'm not suggesting to reduce the need to be vigilent about these issues as I feel that there is a lot of environmental chemical cleanup (including those chemicals in our foods and building materials) plus other health moves to be done. It's just that I'm not alarmist. Let's not make a lot of money for the lawyers. There are big dollar law cases being won due to public sentiment (the jury) and not good scientific evidence.

On another web forum where I am not very welcome, one poster regularly claimed that all it takes is "one asbestos fiber to cause mesothelioma"......this gent was the top poster on the site until he blew up one day. Thank God as he had a lot of influence. The truth is: if you live in any sizeable city, you are breathing in hundreds of thousands to millions of asbestos fibers per year when breathing at "at rest" rates. SO.... we all will die of this one affliction.....right??

I have been working (either full time or part time) in IAQ and the environmental health field since 1986. In 1990, I was hired by an engineering company to set up and manage its IAQ and air balancing sudsidiary and am now recommended by a local environmental health clinic for home assessments. I think these issues are of the utmost importance.

[Roy D. Cooke, Sr]

I have no idea if it can cause problems but I do think many of these company warnings is to Cover their ***** .
if there is a complaint they can sat did you read the directions and did you follow them.
We all want to try and protect ourselves from difficulties all the time .
Roy Cooke

[Kenton H. Shepard, CMI]

Originally Posted by Brian A. MacNeish

...There is a tendancy to create a "sky is falling" scenario for more and more products. Why? Because someone can make lots of $$$$$ from this scenario. My statement as to how some firms work is "Scare the sh_t out of them and then pick their pockets"...

Ain't it the truth. Chemical and environmental hazards are prime targets for that ploy because it often takes some hard digging and a lot of sifting to get at the truth and the truth isn't always easy to understand without some background education. Not going to say the "M" word.

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Let's all switch to this green material and in 30 years, they will find something hazardous about this product too.




NATURAL FIBER INSULATION Simply a Better Choice!
Compared to fiberglass insulation, our natural fiber insulation:

• Doesn't require a warning label Has mostly recycled content Non-toxic; no respiratory or other safety equipment recommended Retains R-value in colder conditions because it is denser Has superior acoustical properties; controls airborne noise such as airplanes Requires less energy to manufacturer
• Does not contain formaldehyde

Better for the Planet
Our natural fiber insulation is 100% recyclable, so it helps to reduce overall landfill waste. Made from mostly recycled cotton, the manufacturing process uses far less energy than non-decomposable fiberglass insulation.
Better for Your Health
Because it's made from natural fibers, it feels as soft to your skin as your own clothing; there's no itch or irritation. While fiberglass is listed as a possible cause for cancer, our insulation is so natural THERE IS NO WARNING LABEL of any kind.

Marcel