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RE:"popcorn" ceiling
Minor point
that might allay some concerns.
While I have
no doubt that these folks had asbestos ceiling texture, the "popcorn" type is
typically styrofoam beads (like a shredded picnic cooler) in a drywall 'mud'
base. Although, come to think of it, drywall mud used to have some
asbestos in it for strength, but this would be considered non-friable unless
disturbed.
The sprayed
asbestos that was used on ceilings had an irregular fibrous surface, but no
pellets.
To answer
your question: Sprayed asbestos > aluminum wiring > popcorn texture w/
asbestos containing 'mud' > radon, in my opinion.
Dave
Neil neildm@id.doe.gov
I would like to inject a real-life "risk-based" decision into this
decision. This is a true story:
Friends of ours -- a family that
includes small children -- just purchased a house. The house has
aluminum wiring, painted asbestos "popcorn" ceilings, and no particular radon
mitigation. They just spent quite a bit on asbestos removal, and can't
immediately afford both replacement of the wiring and radon barriers.
They asked me (and this is a bit of oversimplification) which I thought
they should do. My answer was unhesitating, and I told them not only is
the aluminum wiring a very real fire hazard, while the radon hazard is
putative at best, but had they had a fire, they might have wished to have left
the asbestos in place and just added some coats of paint.
Now I would
like to ask the folks who base their contentions on the Iowa study: if you
only could afford to mitigate one risk, which would you mitigate: radon,
asbestos in the ceiling, aluminum wiring in the walls? This is a real
question and I look forward to the answers.
Ruth
Ruth Weiner, Ph.
D.
ruthweiner@aol.com