Cellulose Attic Insulation Safety

However blown in cellulose insulation is associated with a few serious hazards that must be appropriately assessed before it is used as an insulating material.

Cellulose attic insulation safety. No pressure is placed on the cellulose. Cellulose insulation contains no harmful products such as those found in other types of insulation including asbestos fiberglass ammonium sulfate and formaldehyde. According to research by the national institute for occupational safety and health niosh dust from dry cellulose insulation can also be hazardous. Some manufacturers have even qualified two and three hour firewall designs using cellulose insulation.

When a paper based cellulose mix is utilized by builders it is treated with something called boric acid to give it fire resistance properties. The thermal performance sound control and fire resistance that cellulose insulation like greenfiber provides help builders create quality. It is allowed to settle over time. If you choose to install cellulose yourself you can buy the insulation in bags from your local home improvement store.

It all sounded great to me. Cellulose insulation products are largely made of newspaper which is highly combustible. It is treated with fire retardants to meet all federal state and local fire safety requirements. Walls are patched up and painted over.

The installer i hired said what he was using was non toxic and he would cut down on dust by misting it with water during install. The cellulose is allowed to fill the cavities or blanket existing insulation. The cellulose is blown into the attic or walls through long flexible tubes that run from the blower to an application nozzle. Installers are advised to wear respirators when working with it.

Even though it s heavily treated with fire retardant chemicals prior to installation it is a recognized fire hazard by the consumer product safety commission cpsc. If you ve ever emptied out a paper shredder this recommendation probably comes as no surprise. Cellulose recycled ground up paper with boric acid added for insect control and fire resistance offers a better attic insulation option than batts. Cellulose insulation has a class 1 fire rating.

Cellulose insulation is comprised of loose fill shredded paper that is usually treated with various chemicals to help prevent rodents mold and fire. Cellulose insulation 04 27 17 why you want greenfiber cellulose insulation in the new home you re building.