The New Asbestos
Asbestos. For many people in and out of the home building industry, the very word is tainted. After decades of appalling headlines and a ballooning body of scientific research to back those headlines, the product was finally banned. But the nationwide traumatisation of public health continues to this day.
Since the severe regulation of asbestos-based insulation in 1989, the home-building industry never really settled on a better alternative, only the cheapest one available – fibre glass insulation. The wooly, yellow material can now be found in at least 90 percent of all UK homes. It is at this time the de facto insulation material of choice for most builders and do-it-yourself homeowners out there.
A hundred years ago, the same was true of asbestos.
In fact, part of the reason asbestos abatement has been such a perpetual headache for families, health workers, and regulatory bodies across the country is precisely because of how heavily the post-WWII world relied on the substance for everything from fire-proof insulation to parachutes, and even toothpaste.
Juice and wine producers purified their products with asbestos filters. Surgeons employed asbestos threads during operations. Asbestos has even been credited with making the age of the modern skyscraper possible as a cheap and effective fireproofing agent for structural steel framing. Ultimately, millions of unsuspecting Americans surrounded every aspect of their lives with the material, and the results were disastrous for human health.
In some ways, the rise and ubiquity of fibreglass-based materials in daily life, particularly in the home building industry, mirrors many aspects of the life of asbestos. Fibreglass is even a key ingredient in toothpaste.
The Problem With Fibreglass
When it comes down to price, fibreglass insulation, both in rolls or blown in loose, is the cheapest thing on the market with a theoretically acceptable EPC rating. Unfortunately, the reality is that the quality of most onsite installations does not match the results obtained in a perfect lab setting. The issues, of which there are many, begin with installation.
To build a tight, energy efficient home fibreglass insulation must first be painstakingly cut perfectly to the shape of each void in between the framing studs. Too long, and the batting will suffer from compression losing good contact with the air barrier or drywall. Too short, and the batting insulation leaves gaping holes for heat transfer that will surely negate the insulating properties.
In both cases, the result is a poor performing home that will cost more in the long run to operate. Most modern homes have within their walls a myriad of electrical boxes, wires, pipes, truss chords, and other obstructions to the insulation. For an effective installation of batting insulation, each sheet would have to be cut around every single individual obstacle and jigsawed into place – perfectly.
As you may have guessed, most turn-key builders do not take the time to get this right because it is very time-consuming, and thus costly, to do so.
Another pertinent concern with fibreglass installation quality is how it is enclosed. For fibreglass insulation to function as intended, it must be completely enclosed on all six sides to prevent water and moisture infiltration. While this may sound relatively straightforward, in practice, almost no home is perfectly hermetically sealed from the outside. Critically, fibreglass that is exposed to anything from air movement to moisture can lose as much as half of its insulating properties. From an energy-efficiency perspective, that’s just bad.
Now, the Really Bad Stuff
Research shows that fibreglass exposure, particularly inhalation of the fine dust which the cotton candy-like substance tends to shed, causes lung disease and cancer. However, this is hardly new news. A report by the New York Times in 1987, just two years before the curtailing of asbestos production in the US, detailed linking fiberglass to various lung illnesses.
According to the Lung Association, fibreglass products emit a suspected carcinogen called styrene. Furthermore, fibreglass insulation is typically manufactured with the aid of phenol-based formaldehyde binders which are volatile organic compounds and known carcinogens. As with asbestos, encasement within the walls of a home can keep the potential ill effects at bay, but it is no guarantee.
You Get What You Pay For
As an insulation product, fibreglass insulation seems like a good compromise between an acceptable U-value and cost. Unfortunately, as an installed system, it rarely makes the grade. While quality builders and installers are certainly out there, they are few and far between.
A proper installation requires both a trained crew and many hours of careful installation under ideal conditions. Most industry experts would agree that on a typical residential jobsite, this is not the case. In the end, we get what we pay for. And when we pay cut-rate prices for fibreglass insulation, we get the cut-rate performance we deserve. Unfortunately, the people who suffer in the UK are homeowners.
