The material was developed in the 1850s and patented in the u s.
Rockwool attic insulation asbestos.
There is one primary source of asbestos attic insulation.
The types of insulation that were most commonly made with asbestos are loose fill also called blown in insulation.
Rock wool is a silica based stranded insulation very similar to fiberglass.
Use rockwool thermal stone wool insulation to insulate the attic of a new build extension or to increase the r value and top up the current attic insulation especially in an older home.
This is in part because it is a man made material that is quite dense and suitable.
Select your attic insulation application.
However there are loose fill wall and attic insulation which can contain asbestos.
Asbestos is a fiberous form of silica and traces of material that appear similar to asbestos under.
If your attic or wall insulation is in batt or blanket form whether it s fiberglass cellulose or another material you generally don t have to be concerned about asbestos.
Asbestos while many forms of insulation manufactured prior to the mid 1980s contain asbestos rock wool does not.
If you re insulation is the batt style insulation as the loose fill insulation has the higher risk as it s loosely poured into wall or joist cavities.
You may also find thousands of loose particles within walls or under attic flooring.
Rock wool is another name for mineral wool insulation.
Normally mineral wool or rock wool slag wool or stone wool insulation does not contain asbestos but there are exceptions it would be unusual for a residential home to have rock wool insulation containing asbestos to know with absolute certainty i d have a sample of the insulation tested.
A home inspector pointed out that the insulation behind the upstairs knee walls is called something wool.
It s old dirty and fibrous and the inspector told him that it should be tested for asbestos fibers.
Loose fill insulation comes in a variety of materials.
There are other sources of asbestos in attic insulation but this single source significantly outpaces the others the primary source of asbestos attic insulation is from a specific mine in montana operated for 70 years by the libby company according to the environmental protection.