Types Of Asbestos Used In Acoustic Ceiling Tiles

Popcorn ceiling tiles may contain asbestos.

Asbestos is a type of mineral that was used in nearly every type of building material in the United States until the late 1980s. Use of asbestos stopped when it was discovered that asbestos causes lung cancer. Acoustic ceiling tiles are also called popcorn ceiling tiles because of their bumpy texture, and three major types of asbestos were used in these ceiling tiles because of their flame-retardant properties.

Chrysotile

Chrysotile is the most commonly used asbestos type found in popcorn or acoustic ceiling tiles, and is still mined today. The majority of all asbestos products ever used come in the form of chrysotile, which is a crumbly, fibrous form of asbestos. Chrysotile can stand up to alkaline materials but can easily be harmed by acidic materials. Most of the world's chrysotile comes from Canada, whose government maintains that chrysotile is the safest form of asbestos available because it does less damage to lungs.

Amosite

Amosite is the second-most used form of asbestos around the world. Asbestos types are normally denoted by color, with amosite being referred to as brown or gray asbestos. Amosite is mostly found in South Africa and contains high levels of iron and magnesium. About five percent of asbestos used in building materials, including acoustic ceilings, is amosite asbestos.

Crocidolite

Crocidolite is also called blue asbestos, and makes up approximately four percent of the asbestos products used in the United States. Crocidolite is flexible but more brittle than chrysotile and its microscopic fibers can appear to be blue or gray. Crocidolite is considered to be one of the most dangerous types of asbestos and is commonly found in cement, but very rarely was used to make acoustic ceilings.

Warning

According to the World Health Organization, over 100,000 people around the world die annually because of asbestos and asbestos-related illnesses no matter what type of asbestos to which they are exposed. The presence of asbestos in ceiling tiles cannot be confirmed without laboratory testing, and the World Health Organization recommends that homeowners do not attempt to remove asbestos materials by themselves due to the possible health and safety hazards.

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