Asbestos Found in Carpet Underlay

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

In older homes, asbestos can turn up anywhere—wrapped around pipes as tape, overhead in ceiling tiles or attic insulation or underfoot in carpet.

Australian health officials issued a warning this month to people replacing or pulling up old carpets to take precautions to avoid inhaling any dust. The warning came after traces of asbestos fibers were found in carpet underlay samples taken from a home in Perth, Australia.

Inhaling asbestos fibers is strongly associated with development of serious respiratory diseases including asbestosis, a scarring of the lungs, and mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs or abdomen.

Jim Dodds, director of environmental health with the Government of Western Australia said that some carpet underlay manufactured before the early 1970s may have included recycled hessian from bags previously used to transport and store asbestos.

“While the liklihood of asbestos fibers being present in carpet underlay is low, people should remain vigilant when removing old carpets,” Dodds said. “We will continue to test carpet samples from homes with old carpets to get a clearer picture of the level of risk and the proportion of homes that might be affected.”

Health officials recomment wearing a Class P1 or P2 facemask and disposable overalls and removing the underlay carefully to minimize the amount of dust.

“This will provide protection against inhaling dust and other allergens as well as any asbestos fibers in the unlikely event they are present,” Dodds said.