Asbestos in my 1983 Monitor (Alumilite) TT

[Suprapuller]

Hi guys, I purchased a 1983 Monitor or Alumilite TT about a month ago. I have been doing some work on it and finally got around to repairing a section of the bathroom ceiling that had been previously cut. Half way through I realized that I might be working with an asbestos fiber board. I stopped and got my respirator on and finished the demo. I am going to encapsulate the repair area to seal of the cut edges and replace the ceiling.
I guess long story not so short is has anyone ever had their 80's trailers tested or now anything about the materials they used in that era? I would really like to know for peace of mind if It contains asbestos. I know it was banned in 78' but stockpiles where depleted into the early 80's. Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance!

[CavemanCharlie]

Yes, thanks for posting the results.

[Francesca_Knowl]

Whew- all's well that ends well! Thanks for the results...

[westend]

Thanks for posting the results of the tests. I hope other readers of this will now be assured that their ceilings are not hazardous.

[Suprapuller]

OK finally got results back today and they were negative!! The material was composed of 20% Perlite, 75% Cellulose and 5% glue.

I appreciate all the info that was given during this thread learned a lot about the subject. Sorry it took son long to get back!

[whiteeye42]

Not just any old dust mask will work it has to be one that is asbestos approved because the asbestos fibers are so small they go right thru a normal dust mask and you have to have the asbestos dust mask fit tested to your face

[Road_Phantom]

I owned a 1985 alumilite and kept it for 11 years. I assure you that's not asbestos. It's foam core. Holiday Rambler used that along with luan backing for insulation.

[Suprapuller]

The floor came out in 5 or 6 big pieces definetly wasn't friable. I will post back with results as soon as they come back. Hope its negative!!!

[wrvond]

It's acceptable under NESHAP. State laws vary. For example, in West Virginia, the law is that if you are disturbing greater than 3 SF or 3 LF of suspect material, it must be tested by a licensed inspector. By and large, this state does not distinguish between friable and non-friable.
However, the practicality is that if you remove it by cutting (not tearing) your exposure risk is minimal.
To help put it in perspective, if you are standing next to a city street, and a bus pulls up next to you and stops, you have just potentially been exposed to asbestos fibers from the brakes far more concentrated than your resilient floor covering. If you purchase your automobile brake shoes or pads from places like Autozone, most are manufactured in China and contain asbestos fibers. You have to buy the more expensive ceramic pads (for example) to avoid it. The same with clutches.
As an aside, Ohio just recently defined "friable" to include any asbestos containing material 1 inch by 1 inch or smaller in area.

[westend]

Your flooring probably has no asbestos as it was phased out in the late 70's, early 80's, If there was some asbestos in the flooring and you removed it in a large sheet or cut and removed larger pieces without making it friable, that is acceptable.
Don't just take my word for it, have it tested. Be sure to post back with the results of the tests, please.

[Suprapuller]

Sorry for not posting any pics but was called out to work and have not been home yet! My wife sent out a sample I had bagged before u left today so we should know in a couple days. I ripped up the linoleum floor that was the original floor do you think that stand a better chance of containing asbestos than the ceiling? From reading online it says they tended not to put asbestos in big sheets of the vinyl (which the flooring was 6'x8' piece). Do you guys with more knowledge confirm this or is this more misinformation. I guess I will probably send a sample of the linoleum and roof off. Thx again

[westend]

wrvond wrote:

westend wrote:
We're getting into picking apart words, here. I know all about Transite, the forms it can come in, and it's characteristics. The OP doesn't have to worry about sheet vinyl with asbestos in his ceiling does he?
Rigid and brittle are two different characteristics. My experience with smaller dimension transite sheet goods is that it chips and breaks easily. I dunno, maybe you have more experience with machining it than I do.
Of course, nobody wants any asbestos near their family or on themselves but have you ever heard or seen any asbestos in RV ceilings? I haven't and I'm thinking there would be little cause to alarm readers of this Forum that they have asbestos in their ceilings. Maybe you know something about this that I don't?

As I said in an earlier post: "Personally, I think the odds are against your ceiling panels being positive. But, you will not know until you have a lab test performed."
I may have gotten a bit off target in this discussion - the OP raised the question concerning the possibility of ACBM in his RV. My intent was to say, there is no way to know for certain without a lab test. Unfortunately, if you ask the time, I'll tell you how to build a watch. I feel a need to provide all the information available, so the person who actually has to live with his decision can make the most informed choice. Additionally, no, I have never looked for, or seen, ACBM inside an RV. However, I do see it in mobile homes quite regularly, so it isn't a great stretch to think it could be there. As also noted earlier in the thread, the most common sources of suspect material are resilient floors and mastics. From where I am sitting, I can say that if I were inspecting this unit, I would probably not even list that material as suspect. However, I can't really know how I would treat it until I actually saw it and touched it.
Finally, I know it is true for me, if I get a notion in my head that a material I am working with might be hazardous in some way, it will continue to nag at me until I know for sure. Which comes back to having it tested at a lab. So "peace of mind" and "err on the side of caution" are my reasons for recommending testing. Certainly not a desire to alarm anyone unduly.

Understood. Unfortunately, I suffer from a similar syndrome, tell me you're running late, and I want to take your watch and repair it. :B
I guess we'll hope that the OP doesn't have any ACBM in the ceiling and we all learned something in the process. I have a feeling that if he posted a picture, the material would be identified as press board with an outer coating of vinyl or other. That, in itself, is something to avoid inhaling. I work in construction and I'm always on guard about various materials we encounter, even ones that are not listed as harmful. We usually get information about hazardous materials years after we encounter them.
BTW, up here, in MN, kids were allowed to play in giant open stockpiles of vermiculite at the WF Grace plant. Years later, some of them are paying the ultimate price.

[wrvond]

westend wrote:
We're getting into picking apart words, here. I know all about Transite, the forms it can come in, and it's characteristics. The OP doesn't have to worry about sheet vinyl with asbestos in his ceiling does he?
Rigid and brittle are two different characteristics. My experience with smaller dimension transite sheet goods is that it chips and breaks easily. I dunno, maybe you have more experience with machining it than I do.
Of course, nobody wants any asbestos near their family or on themselves but have you ever heard or seen any asbestos in RV ceilings? I haven't and I'm thinking there would be little cause to alarm readers of this Forum that they have asbestos in their ceilings. Maybe you know something about this that I don't?

As I said in an earlier post: "Personally, I think the odds are against your ceiling panels being positive. But, you will not know until you have a lab test performed."
I may have gotten a bit off target in this discussion - the OP raised the question concerning the possibility of ACBM in his RV. My intent was to say, there is no way to know for certain without a lab test. Unfortunately, if you ask the time, I'll tell you how to build a watch. I feel a need to provide all the information available, so the person who actually has to live with his decision can make the most informed choice. Additionally, no, I have never looked for, or seen, ACBM inside an RV. However, I do see it in mobile homes quite regularly, so it isn't a great stretch to think it could be there. As also noted earlier in the thread, the most common sources of suspect material are resilient floors and mastics. From where I am sitting, I can say that if I were inspecting this unit, I would probably not even list that material as suspect. However, I can't really know how I would treat it until I actually saw it and touched it.
Finally, I know it is true for me, if I get a notion in my head that a material I am working with might be hazardous in some way, it will continue to nag at me until I know for sure. Which comes back to having it tested at a lab. So "peace of mind" and "err on the side of caution" are my reasons for recommending testing. Certainly not a desire to alarm anyone unduly.

[Suprapuller]

Thanks for all the info guys! I did a prelim wet wipe off the trailer to clean up the material in the bathroom. Wore resperator and suit and sprayed everything down with a bottle to eliminate making it airborne!

Will be sending a sample out in the next few days to get tested. With my kids I have to now for sure!! When I get the results then I'll go from there.

I will also try to post a pic off the material tomorrow. It looks to be some sort off fiber board with a type of hard coating on the interior (bathroom side) of the board. Crumbles very easily when in your hand. Thx again

[Oaklevel]

May or may not be cause for concern in a 1983 RV maybe, maybe not but it is always better to err on the side of safety...... Who of us has the most experience with asbestos here is not important. Taking standard precautions is not a bad idea regardless of working on an RV or our bricks & sticks home.......