Indoor Air
An Introduction to Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
Asbestos
Basic Information on Pollutants and Sources of Indoor Air Pollution
- Asbestos
- Biological Pollutants
- Carbon Monoxide (CO)
- Formaldehyde/Pressed Wood Products
- Lead (Pb)
- Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)
- Pesticides
- Radon (Rn)
- Respirable Particles
- Secondhand Smoke/ Environmental Tobacco Smoke
- Stoves, Heaters, Fireplaces, and Chimneys
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Read "Care for Your Air: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality"
Asbestos is a name given to a number of naturally-occurring fiberous minerals that because of their fiber strength and heat resistance have been used in a variety of building construction materials for insulation and as a fire-retardant. Asbestos has been used in a wide range of manufactured goods, mostly in building materials (roofing shingles, ceiling and floor tiles, paper products, and asbestos cement products), friction products (automobile clutch, brake, and transmission parts), heat-resistant fabrics, packaging, gaskets, and coatings.
Asbestos, as defined by federal regulation is the asbestiform varieties of: chrysotile (serpentine); crocidolite (riebeckite); amosite (cummingtonite/grunerite); anthophyllite; tremolite; and actinolite.
Elevated concentrations of airborne asbestos can occur after asbestos-containing materials are disturbed by cutting, sanding or other remodeling activities. Improper attempts to remove these materials can release asbestos fibers into the air in homes, increasing asbestos levels and endangering people living in those homes.