Issue link: https://hi.iaq.net/i/650064
1 PRIORITY ISSUES ASSESSMENT PROTOCOLS Minimum Actions Expanded Actions Measures to help home energy retrofit contractors identify common indoor air quality and safety concerns in homes. This document is not a guide to diagnosing occupant health problems or building-related illnesses. Critical actions intended to ensure work does not potentially cause or worsen indoor air quality or safety problems for occupants or workers (i.e., "Do No Harm"). EPA recommends these protections for ALL retrofit projects. Additional actions to promote healthy indoor environments that can be taken during energy- efficiency retrofit projects. EPA recommends considering these improvements when feasible. CONTAMINANTS Determine potential asbestos hazard. Consider the age of the structure; homes built after 1930 and before the 1970s especially may have asbestos insulation. Asbestos may also be present in other building materials in homes built or renovated prior to the 1990s. Note Possible sources of asbestos are: • Attic insulation (especially vermiculite). • Wall insulation (e.g., vermiculite, insulation blocks). • Insulation on steam pipes, boilers and furnace ducts. • Vinyl flooring (including 9-inch by 9-inch or 12-inch by 12-inch floor tiles, vinyl sheet flooring and the mastics and other adhesives used to secure the flooring). • Cement sheet, millboard and paper used as insulation around furnaces and wood- or coal- burning appliances. • Door gaskets in furnaces and wood- or coal- burning appliances (seals may contain asbestos). • Soundproofing or decorative surface materials sprayed on walls or ceilings, including popcorn ceilings. • Patching and joint compounds and textured paints on walls and ceilings. • Roofing, shingles and siding (including cement or adhesives). • Artificial ashes and embers (used in gas-fired fireplaces). • Transite (cement and asbestos) combustion vent or transite flue. • Original plaster or plaster that is old enough to potentially contain asbestos. If suspected asbestos-containing material (ACM) is in good condition, do not disturb. If suspected ACM is damaged (e.g., unraveling, frayed, breaking apart), immediately isolate the area(s). For example, separate work area in question from occupied portions of the building using appropriate containment practices AND do not disturb. For suspected ACM that is damaged or that must be disturbed as part of the retrofit activity, contact an asbestos professional for abatement or repair, in accordance with federal, state and local requirements. Only a licensed or trained professional may abate, repair or remove ACM. Note Typically, trained professionals can repair asbestos by: • Sealing or Encapsulating: Treating the material with a sealant that either binds the asbestos fibers together or coats the material so fibers are not released. Pipe, furnace and boiler insulation can often be repaired this way. • Covering or Enclosing: Placing a protective layer over OR around the ACM to prevent release of fibers. Exposed insulated piping may be covered with a protective wrap or jacket. • Removing: Removing ACM may be advantageous when remodeling OR making major changes to a home that will disturb ACM, or if ACM is damaged extensively and cannot be otherwise repaired (by covering, enclosing, sealing or encapsulating). This cell is intentionally blank. HEALTHY INDOOR ENVIRONMENT PROTOCOLS FOR HOME ENERGY UPGRADES ASBESTOS (Continued on next page)