Airborne fiberglass dust hazards & the role of particle size in particle detection as well as in health risk assessment:

Most buildings Probably have Mostly Large Fiberglass Fragments. Prudent Avoidance of Fiberglass Insulation Dust makes sense.

This article provides information about fiberglass fragments and indoor air quality fiberglass contamination issues in residential and light-commercial buildings.

Airborne Fiberglass Fragment Hazard FAQs

Questions & answers about fiberglass particles in indoor air, posted originally

at FIBERGLASS FRAGMENT HAZARDS in AIR or DUST - be sure to review the information given there.

On 2021-04-27 by (mod) - did we ruin our workshed with fiberglass contamination?

@Mikayla Bingham,

Our encouraging opinion on this is that you have not ruined your shed nor tools nor any other hard surfaced items were materials located therein.

If there is a irritating fiberglass dust Hazard you should be able to clean it or have it cleaned using a combination of damp wiping and HEPA vacuuming

On 2021-04-26 by Mikayla Bingham

My husband and I own a shed that’s about 500 ft.² or so anyways he’s been doing some work in there on some speaker boxes using fiberglass jelly during the whole risky fiberglass thingAgainst my better judgment.

Now that he’s done with his box he and I both started to put that you gather the fact that he has been having severe nose bleeds I have been having some itching been going on just doing the laundry. I mean are there going to be particles going around in there in the shed continuously forever or what?

How in the hell do we get rid of it all? There’s so many expensive tools not shed and such a great space I hate it that we may have ruined it. But it completely freaks me the hell out to even go out there and I don’t even know if he’s safe out there with an N 95 mask or whatever they’re called one of those respirators that you can order off the Internet. One with replacement filters.. are those sufficient? Thanks !

On 2021-02-16 - by (mod) -

Rita

In the event that a home suffered some unusual source of fiberglass insulation, HEPA vacuuming and damp wiping will prove useful and normally-adequate cleanup measures.

Washing clothes and other soft goods, damp-wiping your posessions that you've removed from a home, before bringing them into a new home are extra meticulous steps you could choose.

Taking a shower or bath and shampooing your hair once is completely adequate to get un-wanted dust or fibers of any sort off of your person.

Watch out: don't set as your objective getting the level of fiberglass fibres in your environment to zero. That's not reasonable, not necessary, and not something that you can achieve. It's normal to find a few fiberglass fragments in the house dust of any home.

If you are convinced that there is persistent fiberglass in your pet's poop than I can only guess that your pet is eating insulation.

Finally, you should discuss your concerns with your doctor and your pet-vet.

On 2021-02-16 by Rita Frady

Please tell me how we can rapidly get it off us

On 2021-02-16 by Rita Frady

I have had to move out of my home bc of so much fiberglass in my home or in everything I own we carry it actually to others,houses on us me and my furry friend u can see the fibers in her poop it's thick in our house and we don't know where from.

On 2020-05-27 - by (mod) -

Portia

Most likely you need a thorough clean-up using damp wiping and a special "HEPA" vacuum cleaner that traps even very small particles.

On 2020-05-27 by Portia

I live in an apartment and recently birds got in my walls by way of a vent over the dryer. The mother birds was removed by maintenance, but the maintenance crew left the baby birds to die. Shortly after they died I noticed itching and skin irritation. I thought there might have been bird mites biting me.

After a careful inspection and extermination, I realized the irritation was fiberglass particles resulting from the birds having disturbed the insulation and particle were blowing out of the airconditioning vent. My question is what is it that can be done to remove the majority of these particles to stop the discomfort?

On 2019-10-28 - by (mod) -

There's not normally a significant level of fiberglass and indoor building air.

If you are building does have abnormal levels, as established by an expert, then it's important to find the source and correct it.

On 2019-10-28 by Meow

@Meow NOT used to texting,mrrrr..any way its killing myu lungs ..its horrible

Nobody has answers...not eben the gvt can explain
...im going thru adha hell with 1970 insulation it is everywhere..suppose i rif everything!? What!!

On 2015-11-25 by (mod) - HEPA vacuuming not CPA vacuuming

Jake I haven't heard of CPA vacuuming except the way that certified professional accounts can suck the money right out of my wallet when I stand too near their desk.

More likely someone was telling you about HEPA vacuuming. Or HEPA air filtering.

Definition of HEPA: High Efficiency Particulate Air vacuuming (or filtering) refers to a vacuum cleaner or air filter that is capable of trapping nearly all of very small airborne dust particles.

A HEPA vacuum cleaner or a HEPA-rated air filter such as might be used in a forced air heating system furnace or air conditioner air handler will capture 99.97 % of all airborne or dust particles that are bigger than 0.3 microns.

Consider that a human hair can be as thin as 17 microns that tells you that the dust particles caught in a HEPA vacuum are as small as 1 / 56 the thickness of a thin hair - pretty small.

On 2015-11-25 by Jake - what is CPA vacuuming?

What is CPA vacuuming? I tried looking it up but had no luck.

I've been using a shop-vac with a HEPA filter and wiping stuff down after spraying it with a water bottle. I find that duck tape works good on some fabrics too.

Am I being overly paranoid? Do most homes have some Fiberglass in the dust? How important is it to cover exposed insulation? I have a few spots in my basement that the insulation is exposed, a few spots on wall etc (perpetually unfinished basement)

Thanks,
Jake

On 2015-11-23 by (mod) -

Frankly opinions that being exposed to fiberglass improve your immune system sounds like nonsense to me. If you are concerned about the presence of large and small fiber glass fragments in your present environment your clean up would benefit from using a CPA vacuuming.

On 2015-11-22 by Jake

The Fiberglass that was spread through my house wasn't regular pink house insulation. I don't know much about it other than it was white and Fiberglass from work, probably from the 70s. It was brought in on clothing mostly because they had been cutting it off of piping etc.

The doctor I brought it up with basically said that if anything serious comes of it I probably won't know for at least 20 years and he suspects that I'm not at much risk because I'm not working with it my whole life. Short-term exposure vs some people with long-term exposure I suppose.

To make matters more frustrating, I've moved and have been slowly cleaning out the possessions of mine that I have not thrown away, but I have an aunt and uncle who work with Fiberglass mat/cloth and visit often and every time they leave I notice more of the stuff on my furniture etc.

They vehicles are FULL of it too. Seems I cannot escape the stuff. I'm not sure if I'm being overly paranoid or if this is actually as serious as I make it out to be. I finally confronted them about it and was met with the reply "It's not like the old Fiberglass.

This stuff breaks flush and not jagged.

Plus it's all big strands so it doesn't become air bourne. If it was a hazard do you think I would bring it into my home?"

And then he went on about how our bodies and lungs are very good at cleaning themselves and removing impurities and how being exposed to Fiberglass occasionally is more likely to help your body build a tolerance and keep the immune system active.

I can understand the large strands part but the rest doesn't sound right to me. What are your thoughts? Thanks

On 2015-11-10 by (mod) -

Jake the Cancer risk from fiberglass is not something anyone but your doctor or you with a specialist in environmental medicine can assess and I suspect it's person-specific.

In general, much research argues that fiberglass is not a carcinogen, but that research seems to me to be focused on large particles - which are indeed less of a risk: they don't get inhaled as deeply into lungs and may be expelled.

But in my OPINION there are possible health risks from very small fiberglass fragments, maybe down in the 1u range or less. The good news is that most building fiberglass insulation, ducts, ceiling panels, etc. don't produce a lot of these tiny fragments.

When I've found tiny fiberglass fragments in the lab it's principally been in environments where normal fiberglass products have been abused by foot traffic, mechanical maceration or other rather extreme activities.

Let me know what your doctor advises.

On 2015-10-19 by Jake

Hello. I lived in a home completely contaminated with Fiberglass dust for 4 months.

My workplace also had a lot of open Fiberglass insulation and air circulation. Am I at risk long-term for cancer or any other serious ailments? It's been a slow terrible process for me cleaning all my life's possessions and getting rid of many items.

The fibers spread through the entire house and was visible on everything. I'm sure I breathed in a fair amount, especially in the last month when it got really bad

On 2015-09-27 by Anonymous

IMO if the fiberglass lined duct is damaged it makes more sense to replace it than to add filters. If it intact the airborne fiberglass levels ought to be trivisl. Also review our nites on particle size.

On 2015-09-27 by Roxanne Wolffe

I have been told that, provided there are filters in all the air returns (?) throughout the house, the main air intake handler does not need one. I have also been told that the main air intake does need a filter because it draws air in over the insulation and will directly deliver it into the house air environment.

I tend to believe the second because I see white fibers floating (drifting) around often AND bith my service dog and I seem to be sick quite often if not always with skin issues and sinus problems.

The house is roughly 3 years old, and thrown together hastily in my opinion and things such as a filter in the main air intake was never done and I wasn't informed until 2 years later (different topic for another posting!)

So, which is it?

On 2015-03-19 by (mod) -

Anon: about fiberglass boat manufacture hazards see your question and our reply in the article above.

Other readers, Use the "Click to Show or Hide FAQs" link just above to see recently-posted questions, comments, replies,

Question: is it possible to remove all of the fiber glass particles from my home?

Due to improper air duct cleaning and not re sealing the ducts we now have fiber glass particles on everything in my condo. The air quality is horrible.

The particles are floating in the air.We had a well qualified inspector to inspect this calamity and he said everything has to be heppa vacuumed and the walls have to be washed down with a product.Clothes removed and washed or cleaned.

The fiberglass got into clothing, furniture, every single thing. I have moved out until the clean up is done, question: with the proper clean up company, which i believe we have, is it possible to remove all of the fiber glass particles from my home? Thank you so much for an answer. - L.S. 9/14/2014

Reply:

No it is not possible or at least not feasible, nor is it appropriate to try to remove literally all fiberglass particles from a home - certainly not in normal circumstances. Small amounts of fiberglass are almost always found in buildings as there are various sources.

But it is possible, following the advice from your paid expert, to remove abnormal levels of fiberglass by extensive and proper cleaning, getting things back to a level that would not be expected to lead to occupant complaints traced to fiberglass.

Don't set a target of zero of any particle in a building. You'd be inviting price gouging and you're setting an unreasonable goal.

Even in a computer chip manufacturing line where air is HEPA filtered and workers wear Tyvek clothing, and booties, and enter and exit by means of an air lock, the airborne particle level still won't be zero.

Question: hazards from power-washing a fiberglass roof

(Jan 9, 2015) Anonymous said:
would like to know what kind of repercussions can occur from being exposed to individuals cleaning a fiberglass roof power washed and all the debris flew into grass area and into outdoor gazebo covering furniture hanging plants etc.

Reply:

Anon from just your note we can't know the fiberglass particle size, airborne levels, proximity, or exposure level. It my OPINION (I am not an industrial hygienist) there is a POSSIBLE respiratory or skin or eye hazard ... it depends on the actual exposure, particle size, duration and perhaps individual medical conditions.

A Google Scholar search performed on 3/19/2015 did not find research citing "fiberglass roof hazard"

On 2013-02-27 by sks

I acquired a super hyper-sensitivity to fiberglass insulation due to having no choice but to work in a building for 5 full years, where old fiberglass backed drop ceiling tiles had rotted yellow dust that fell like snow.

I had it in my eyes, hands/feet/legs, lots of deep lung coughing. I haven't been there in over 4 years and this hyper-sensitivity still has not gone away, and I assume it never will. So I live with this insanity nightmare almost daily, as I can't go anywhere hardly, without coming into contact with fiberglass fragments that stick in my feet like glass needles. It takes about 4 days for my skin to scab over this before I don't feel the splinters anymore.

Now we are building home spent extra money for all spray foam and metal plenums, but were forced to go flex-duct because it seems most hvac owners/workers are just too lazy to be bothered to install rigid duct even for a higher cost we'd happily pay. I'm reading more and more people having this fiberglass contamination nightmare, yet no oversight committee cares to do anything as the fiberglass industry is big business with too much greed and they tell everyone this isn't happening...well IT IS! I hope karma gets them like it has those of us who suffer from their nasty product.

My life went from normal to hell and there's nothing I can do about it. Even building a new home is likely not going to matter as its only a matter of time before this fiberglass insulation that was likely installed wrong, inflitrates the rest of the house and everything in it. I have thrown out everything thats fabric (clothes, rugs, upholstered furniture). I clean with expensive HEPA vacuum with 5 filtration system and still this stuff is in our current home.

It tracks/cross-contaminates into your home from wherever you've been, on your shoes/clothes/hair. I pray that others with same misery will speak out, so I know I'm not the only one, in the hopes that one day soon the building standards will be revised allowing better healthier safer insulation options.

On 2012-11-15 by Israel Contreras

Been dealing with AC contractors in my home...did you know that they think exposing the air stream to open fiberglass in the fiberglass ductoboard plenums to be ok...this is so stinking crazy...what's up with that?

On 2012-03-28 by Dana

I have a question about inhaling fiberglass insulation. The room in question has an unfinished exposed fiberglass insulated ceiling ( probably at least 30 years old, Some tears and rips ). And over the last few years my daughters have been using this room as an exercise room. None of them are having repertory problems at the time, but could there be a concerned with any long term affects.

On 2012-02-01 by (mod)- is our gas heater outgassing formaldehyde?

First priorities::

Watch out: Be sure that you have properly installed, located, and tested working smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in your home.

And if your gas heater was not installed by a trained expert with appropriate permits and inspections that heater should be inspected for safe operation too.

There is no simple single test for indoor air quality, but in my OPINON measuring the carbon dioxide level (CO2) is a reasonable first thing to check (and is pretty easy) as that tells us something about the fresh air ventilation rate in the building.

You can use the page top EXPERTS DIRECTORY to find someone trained in environmental insepection and testing.

On 2012-02-01 by crystal - is our gas heater outgassing formaldehyde?

I have doctors thinking I'm crazy but seeing all of these complaints makes me feel normal. Myself and four children have skin irritation even staph infections,nose bleeds,migranes,eye burning,memory confusion nausea etc.I have polished and within a few hours it's dusty enough to write my name.

I have had inspectors come as well as having ducts cleaned and no one has found out why my home is so dusty.I was told my insulation that goes against the walls was chopped up and scattered on my attic floor. I had it tested and it came back 98% fibrous glass.

My husband lit the gas heater one night in the attic knealing on the floor and had 7 shards of glass in his knee.

This stuff is dangerous and I also wonder if it could be possibly out gassing formaldehyde as our eyes burn.

Is there any home indoor air quality test that is epa approved that I can check the hazrds in my home. It is so bad that I am fixing to move out and pay for secondary housing. I have no choice because in Louisiana the Government will not give me any assistance nor have anyone come test my home.

I found that all of my soffits were blocked with the insulation as well.

Do you know who I should contact about my situation? Is there anyone whom regulates how insulation is used safely that I may contact?

Is it legal to chop up the wall insulation and it crumble into dust and glass? I would appreciate any assistance in this very serious matter asap.

On 2011-12-27 by Liliana Basile

How can I can get rid of airborne fiberglass in my apartment? Looking forward to readin your answer

On 2011-11-17 by should we be worried and how to

We recently had a new roof installed, due to lack of venting or insulation, the contractor installed air vents and blown in fiberglass above our cathedral ceiling.

We have noticed ( especially on sunny days) a strong sweet hay like odor and wonder if the insulation is out gassing, we also notice dust and have itchy throats. After reading your artcles I realize we may have particles coming through our tongue and groove ceiling areas or some unsealed joints where a brick wall meets the ceiling.

We also have a few recessed lights in the tongue and groove ceiling. Contractor says not to worry but I am not comfortable in my home.

On 2011-10-06 by (mod) -

Help in home fiberglass:

Check with your physician to be sure that the fiberglass worry you express is something s/he agrees could cause or aggravate the health complaints you cite. Animal contaminants: feces, urine, bacteria, could certainly also be a factor. A

lso Search InspectAPedia for MOLD EXPERT, WHEN TO HIRE, for an article that will help you decide if and when it's appropriate to bring an expert to the home to inspect for environmental hazards.

See also MORGELLONS SYNDROME

On 2011-10-05 by HELP In home fiberglass infestat

I don;t know what to do, should we even still be in the house! We are obviously having and have been having health effects from this.

Any advice, where can we go, what can we do, I am sure the insurance company is going to try to refute any ill effects, but the medical history is there.

On 2011-10-0 by HELP In home fiberglass infestat

For a long time, probably 3 years myself and my family have had sinus and respiratory problems, severely as well as skin conditions. During this time, I also notice my house is extremely dusty, no matter how much dusting, is done. WELL, the other night I looked up to see snow coming form the air vent.

My little doggie was watching it too. I woke my husband who has also had severe sinus and respiratory problems and he said it had to be the blown insulation from the attic. And he would see what the problem was in the morning!

A few minutes later I heard a plop in the room, minutes later my little dog is chasing something around the room. I get up to inspect and find its a little flying squirrel, oh my gosh I then realized that was the plop I heard and it came out of the air vent from the ceiling.

Long story short, I call a rescue company and ask if they can come inspect, I also called my insurance company and yes they take claims for squirrel infestation. I research the effects of fiberglass as I am itching as I have done for a long time, even went to dermatologist and he scraped lesions

I THOUGHT for sure was scabies and he said no way, but no answers....

anyway...my husband also has had severe sinus problems and Doctor said his sinus looks red inflamed and bloody, I myself have gone to ER in respiratory distress, my son and daughter have had severe respiratory, sinus infections and more, and anyway....soorry to get off course,

but its the squirrels who have been living in my attic, I had no idea till one fell from my air vent! The rescue animal company said they have been there a long time from the amount of feces and urine up there and also concerned as they carry hanta viruses, on top of the health issues we've been having!

I am concerned for our health and think I have found the answers to much of it, the inspector said there was holes all through the duct allowing the fiberglass to seep through the air vents, the big SNOW that feel the other night was because the squirrel decided to come through the vent

On 2011-08-24 by (mod) -

OfficerK:

The actual airborne fiberglass hazard risk would depend on quite a few factors including particle size (depending in part on the insulation and whether or not it's been damaged), air flow on, over, through the insulation, building HVAC system air handling and filtering level.

And there may already be an indoor air quality question about the conveyor dust. Even biologically inert particles such as silica can be a respiratory irritant.

I can't say just how concerned you ought to be, but it is my OPINION that it would be smart, and dirt cheap, for the building maintenance staff or management to tack up a synthetic fiber covering such as house-wrap over the insulation. It'd be just about immediate to install and would cost probably less than $200. in materials.

On 2011-08-23 by OfficerK

I work in a warehouse type of environment. Motors, conveyor belts, and noise fills the room. In an effort to reduce noise exposure for the employees, a 30 ft long wall was constructed. My concern is that there is a great deal of uncovered pink insulation.

Can this be circulated throughout the air throughout the air conditioner? The air quality is already poor due to conveyor dust. Should I be concerned about this much insulation being out it the open like this?

On 2011-08-11 by (mod) - air scrubbing can not remove a problem particle or mold source

Carl if the duct system is intact - not physically damaged - then if you really have high airborne fiberglass you will need to HEPA vacuum- clean the building interior, focusing on typical particle reservoirs like carpets and upholstered furniture.

Sorry to say, but your "air scrubbing" for three weeks was a nearly complete waste of time and money. Airborne particles in a building come from a particle reservoir like dust in a carpet or damaged ductwork.

You can no more "fix" that problem by "air scrubbing" any more than you can vacuum the livingroom carpet by standing in the kitchen and waving your vacuum cleaner wand in the air.

On 2011-08-10 by Carl

My house seems to be contaminated with fiberglass from the old hvac system. I had a completely new sytem installed and much of the old ducts replaced

. I had a company come in and "scrub" the air with a huge hepa filter for about 3 weeks. Yet the air quality test subsequent to these measures still shows high concentration of fiberglass in the air.

What can i do to rid the house of the fiberglass. It's literally destroying my health. thanks.

On 2011-07-08 by (mod) -

Graham:

I'd wear protective respirator, eye protection, and tyvek, and I'd see that any left over dust and debris is HEPA vacuumed from any living areas that may have been made dusty during insulation.

If however the insulation job is occurring during new construction, regular site cleanup may handle your concern.

On 2011-06-19 by Graham Haxell

What precautions should be taken by those installing fibreglass insulation to prevent exposure to the general public?

On 2011-06-16 by (mod) - tests for fiberglass particles may omit very small ones

Teresa:

Testing and treating fiberglass exposure: this is a question to take to your personal physician who in turn may refer you to someone who is an expert in environmental medicine - it's beyond my competence.

You will want to give an accurate description of your fiberglass exposure to the physician, including an estimate of the dust level and duration of exposure.

As an aside, it's worth mentioning to the doctor that in my own forensic lab work I've seen that dust analysis reports that included a screen for the level of fiberglass particles in buildings can be tricky to conduct and evaluate.

Fiberglass fragments are easy to see using transmitted light microscopy so long as the particles are large.

But very small fiberglass fragments, in the range of a few microns or less, are easily missed in the dust sample unless the microscopist is adequately trained, experienced, uses a mountant liquid with an optimal refractive index, and finally, s/he has to be *looking* for the small particles.

If you're not looking you don't see such materials, risking in turn under-reporting the presence of these particles in a dust sample.

On 2011-06-14 by Teresa

I was exposed to fiberglass several years ago while my ex-husband was repairing his surfboard.

I ended up having to go to the hospital because I had a severe reaction, and have since had skin irritations and irritation within my chest. Is there any way of detecting such a problem and treating it? Thank you.

On 2011-05-20 by (mod) -

No. However medical authorities have written about the phenomenon of people who express a complaint or opinion that fibers are coming out of their skin, describing that complaint as a phobia. You should ask your doctor for advice about such health concerns.

And while I do NOT recommend it, it is certainly simple and inexpensive to collect a skin surface sample of surface particles that can be examined in any competent forensic microscopy laboratory in order to identify the types of particles present.

Such a test is no substitute for a medical consult and most likely your doctor will say it's not necessary. In our forensic lab what I see from experimental samples I've collected is that on the human skin the common particles collected using adhesive tape include: skin cells and fabric fibers and at a lower level, ccasional common airborne and house dust particles.

See MORGELLONS SYNDROME

On 2011-05-18 by Dawn Junkins

Is there any evidence of Fiberglass that was inhaled or even eaten coming out of one's skin from inside of the body? What about inhaling or eating fiber-optics?

...

Continue reading at FIBERGLASS FRAGMENT HAZARDS in AIR or DUST - topic home, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see FIBERGLASS HAZARDS in AIR or DUST FAQs-2 - more-recent questions & answers about the health risks of airborne fiberglass particles & dust.

Or see these

Articles on Fiberglass Hazards in Buildings

• FIBERGLASS HAZARDS - home
  • AIR FILTERS, FIBERGLASS PARTICLES
  • DUST ANALYSIS for FIBERGLASS
  • FIBERGLASS DETECTION in BUILDING AIR & DUST
  • FIBERGLASS ENVIRO-SCARE
  • FIBERGLASS FRAGMENT HAZARDS in AIR or DUST
  • FIBERGLASS HAZARD RESEARCH
  • FIBERGLASS INSULATION EXPOSURE LIMITS
  • FIBERGLASS PARTICLE CONTAMINATION TEST
  • FIBERGLASS REINFORCED PLASTICS
  • FIBERGLASS SHEDDING from MATTRESSES
  • FORMALDEHYDE in FIBERGLASS INSULATION
• FIBERGLASS HVAC DUCTS
• MORGELLONS SYNDROME

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