I wrote this thread under another title but didn't get any responses, so I'm trying here.
I would like to know more about asbestos. I know that it is likely present in the tile grout and adhesive in our house built in '59, but if the grout starts to come loose a little, does it pose any risk? We seal with silicone as we find such places, is that enough of a precaution until we can afford a regular remediation and renovation?
The next issue is pipe bends and pipe endings near the boiler; everything looks intact and good, but we have fixed visible endings with clear varnish according to advice from a remediator and taped around, does that seem okay?
And then there's the problem with carpets—if there's an old carpet that is worn and a bit frayed and it contains asbestos, does it pose any risk?
Is there asbestos in concrete? We sanded down paint from a concrete floor in the basement, and I can imagine it's not properly cleaned up if there was asbestos in the sanding dust, this was before my asbestos anxiety so I didn't think about such things then. I swept up the worst but then used my regular vacuum cleaner which has since been used extensively throughout the house—should it be thrown away?
Paint: How do you know which paint contains asbestos? Our basement floor is painted in a gray color that unfortunately dissolves when wet scrubbed.
And finally, a clothes closet—furnished and nice, but behind a wardrobe, you can glimpse the chimney, and where the ceiling meets the chimney, you can see some sort of grayish insulation sticking out a little—it looks like some sort of wool, like mineral wool of some kind—could there be loose asbestos in that?
Many questions, but it causes a lot of anxiety for me, so I need answers, I hope some of my worries are unfounded. The only sensible thing would be to take samples from all these "risk places," but I'm afraid to mess with things.
