just found scary problem with 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. I heat with wood most of the time but do use the furnace sometimes. Could i be 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. I know i may be a bit paranoid and this is the worst case scenario. Any suggestions? Thanks

[mikeylikesit5805]

I have that insulation between my first and second floor, I think the guy before me used in to quiet the home, as it really not going to make much of a heat difference between the first and second floor.

Im not sure how to get rid of it, but I would imagine that by using a shop vac you could get rid of most of it.

I know they say it may contain Asbestos, but is it really something to be worried about?

[pushkins]

There was only one mine that was to blame for vermiculite being contaminated with asbestos and that was Libby Montana, unfortunately 70% of the worlds vermiculite was mined there and most of America's insulation in homes came from there.
Ideally it should be removed IF it is in threat of being transferred by air throughout the house, to do this it would need to be disturbed or sucked into the venting system. Usually though if you add rolled insulation over the top this helps keep it in place.
Yes you can just suck it all up in a shop vac, BUT this is not advisable, 1. you need special vacuums with HEPA (at the least) or you'll actually put much more in the air and to very dangerous levels. 2. once you have it collected you will need to contact the local trash depot and advise them you have asbestos to dump.
3. In most jurisdictions you will need a permit and most won't permit an unqualified person to do the work ....for obvious reasons.

I've attached a link for this issue from the EPA for your info.
Vermiculite | Asbestos | US EPA

[moose13]

Thanks for the info!