War Stories
This house was a recent flip by a remodeler for sale. The workers saw a wood stove and decided to burn some construction debris inside for some heat. The
problem was that the stove was for looks and was not actually connected to a flue. The house quickly caught fire, and smoke filled the house.
The fire department came, put out the fire and pulled the ceiling. The attic was filled with vermiculite, and as the ceiling was pulled, the vermiculite
showered down on them.
The workers cleaned up the mess with no protection because, even now, not one person was aware of the potential asbestos hazards associated with
vermiculite.
As I was conducting the inspection, I noted the vermiculite in the attic and began explaining the situation to the buyers. One of the workers was in the
house cleaning up after the construction and was sweeping the house with a broom, the same broom he used to clean up the fallen vermiculite.
When I explained what had happened, and the potential for exposure, the worker was all shaken up. I went to my vehicle and gave him a mask to wear. I still
can’t believe that with all of the available information out there, people are not aware of this hazard.
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