We have a cinder block home built in the 50's. We are removing a small portion of wall in my daughters closet to open the door width. After knocking down cinder block and creating lots of dust we are now concerned about asbestos. Should we continue the clean up or get very concerned about asbestos? If we have been axposed what do we do?

Sprayed-on acoustic texture, the kind normally found on ceilings, is common in homes built from the late 50's through the 80's. For most of these years, asbestos fibers were added to the material as a binding agent and to enable easier application. In 1978, the manufacture of asbestos-containing texture material was outlawed for respiratory health reasons, but existing stocks of the product were allowed to be installed in buildings. Therefore, there is no definite cutoff date to indicate which materials contain asbestos and which do not.

Acoustic texture is typically regarded as safe when it is secure and undamaged. This is because asbestos is hazardous only when fibers are released into the air. On ceilings, the material is not exposed to routine contact and therefore tends to remain intact, and therefore safe. On a wall, however, surfaces are likely to be rubbed and scraped from time to time, and this can cause the release of asbestos fibers into the air.

To determine whether asbestos is present on your wall surface, send a pinch of the substance to an EPA certified laboratory for analysis by polarized light microscope. If the material tests positive, your options are to have it encapsulated or removed. Encapsulation can be done by means of spray painting with several coats. Removal can be quite expensive (several dollars per square foot) and should only be done by a licensed asbestos abatement contractor.