Vermiculite.(Note: The information below was provided to me to use on my website and has been authorized by Amerispec home inspection services of Mississauga) Back to main index for home inspections General Industry topics related to Homes, home inspectors and home inspection issuesVermiculite Question: I have heard a lot about vermiculite insulation in the news recently. How do I know if I have it in my home and should I be concerned? Vermiculite processing plants were also located in six Canadian provinces and the final product was sold in Canada under the brand name Zonolite. As insulation, vermiculite was sold in bags and typically installed by the homeowner. Vermiculite was an acceptable material under the Canadian Home Insulation Program (CHIP)(Approximately 1977 to 1986) and thousands of homeowners installed it in their walls and attics. It is impossible to determine if the vermiculite contains asbestos without performing analytical laboratory tests on a representative sample of the vermiculite, however given the high percentage of vermiculite that was produced in Libby, Montana and the presence of Grace’s processing plants in Canada, it would be safe to assume that the vermiculite contains asbestos, until proven otherwise. If empty bags are present in the attic labelled Zonolite, the probability that the vermiculite contains asbestos is very high. It is important to remember that the people who have become sick from asbestos in vermiculite were exposed to high levels of asbestos dust over long periods of time. The level of asbestos particles present in an attic or in wall cavities that contains undisturbed vermiculite would be significantly lower than the levels found in the vermiculite processing plants. In addition, vermiculite contained in attics and wall cavities would, in most situations, be concealed and isolated from the habitable living space of most homes and therefore create minimal risk of asbestos dust exposure in the habitable areas of a home containing vermiculite. However it is possible for small amounts of dust from concealed spaces to enter the habitable spaces in some homes under certain circumstances which may include, but not be limited to, having openings in wall/ceiling cavities, large pressure differentials between the inside and outside of the home (i.e. due to wind or large temperature differences between the inside and outside of the house), etc.
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