Scary problem with new (old) home

[moose13]

I am new to the board and just found a possibly scary issue with my home. This is our first year in this house and was really stupid not getting a home inspection. Regardless.
I have been doing a bit of winterization today and decided to check out the attic to see what kind of insulation we had. First of all our furnace is in the attic (which i knew). I found three electrical boxes with no romex connectors or covers on the boxes. Also worse than anything i found possible vermiculite insulation, which i see can contain asbestos inside and covering the boxes. I heat with wood most of the time but do use the furnace sometimes. Am i possibly sucking asbestos from the attic into the house every time the heater goes on???? God i hope not. There is bat insulation up there as well so i was thinking about cleaning all that out sometime and blowing in insulation. After seeing what i really had i am a bit freaked out. I know it can cost a small fortune to fix this if it is does contain asbestos. It may be worst case scenario and i might be a bit paranoid. Any suggestions? Thanks

[HayZee518]

about asbestos the only real thing to worry about is if the substance is "friable" that is to say is it falling apart and spreading particles in the air. it must be encapsulated. vermiculite is a natural insulation that is mined along with mica and an occassional asbestos vein. asbestos abatement is expensive because nobody wants the stuff.

[pushkins]

Mmmmmmmm, I did have a post written here last night, don't know what happened to it.

Like mentioned asbestos is a tough one to deal with and most likely it is in your attic, BUT is deemed "safe" as long as it's not entering your duct system or house. Something you could do (with a respirator on) is lay a layer of rolled insulation over the top of the existing insulation, this will help keep airborne particles down, as well make sure all your ducting system is sealed, no little leaks.

I've attached the EPA site on vermiculite insulation, it will more clearly give you the info. you need.

Vermiculite | Asbestos | US EPA