Vinyl Wallpaper Asbestos

If present it would be in the backing.

Vinyl wallpaper asbestos.

Removing old wallpaper can be down right dangerous. But the flooring companies aim wasn t so much to make the floor tiles fireproof as it was to make the tiles more durable. However if the wallpaper is in a high traffic area or touched frequently it s a good idea to remove it as this is likely to cause exposure. Dried asbestos fibers in vinyl wallpaper can broke down and crumble.

If you are thinking about buying new wallpaper and wondering if it has asbestos in it the answer is no. The wondrous new no wax flooring sold by companies such as congoleum put a glossy sheen on post war american prosperity. In the late 1970s when it was made widely known how toxic asbestos was vinyl wallpaper was no longer manufactured using asbestos but products containing the deadly mineral continued to be sold through the 1980s. If you do have old vinyl wallpaper in your home it could contain asbestos and should be carefully and promptly removed or replaced.

In addition to being so cheap asbestos was desirable because asbestos is heat resistant making your house safer from fire though not making it safe from asbestos exposure. If you are in a home where vinyl wallpaper was hung prior to the late 90s then there is a good chance it has asbestos in it. Older buildings may still have asbestos containing wallpaper on their interior walls. Today it is possible to use vinyl wallpaper without toxicity concerns.

If your home was remodeled with wallpaper between 1930 through the late 1980 s you may be at risk for asbestos exposure. This old wallpaper as well as the wallpaper paste contained some form of asbestos. Asbestos has been used in vinyl wallpaper since the 1920s and vinyl floor tiles and sheet flooring rose to prominence in the 1950s. Asbestos was used in vinyl wallpaper because it was cheap lightweight durable and fire resistant.

In addition vinyl wallpaper typically contained asbestos an extremely harmful chemical that is known to cause mesothelioma. This friable state can turn to dust and release millions of microscopic asbestos fibers into the room. If done incorrectly it can release the asbestos in to your home. In those cases it was actually.