Is There Asbestos in Your Home’s Popcorn Ceiling? John Langdoc, Consumer Advocate Attorney, Holds Informational Session

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--John Langdoc, a consumer advocate attorney, held an informational session today in Los Angeles regarding potential hazards to the homeowner relating to popcorn ceilings. Many popcorn ceilings contain small amounts of asbestos.

“is when homeowners attempt to update their dated ceilings and attempt to remove the popcorn ceiling material.”

Asbestos in popcorn ceilings is not likely to result in a release of asbestos when undisturbed on the ceiling, according to health officials. “The problem,” according to John Langdoc, “is when homeowners attempt to update their dated ceilings and attempt to remove the popcorn ceiling material.”

Importantly, not all popcorn ceilings contain asbestos. “Only certain companies insisted on adding asbestos as an ingredient,” said Langdoc. “States like California banned the use of spraying asbestos-containing popcorn ceilings in the early 1970s. But some of the makers of asbestos popcorn ceilings just sent their product to other states like Texas, Arizona, Florida and Pennsylvania who had not yet outlawed the spraying of asbestos popcorn ceilings.”

So how do you know if your popcorn ceiling has asbestos? John Langdoc gathered information from public health officials, exposure scientists, remediation experts, and once confidential corporate files from the asbestos ceiling spray manufacturers to present a comprehensive informational session on dealing with popcorn ceilings. “You just can’t tell from looking at it,” said Langdoc. “You have to have it tested.”

The overwhelming consensus of scientists is that a popcorn ceiling in place, even if it contains asbestos, is not likely to release any asbestos into the air. But before removing even a small amount of it, the homeowner should have a certified asbestos inspector test the popcorn ceiling to determine whether or not it contains asbestos. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health  maintains a list of certified asbestos consultants who can do this test. Langdoc found the tests to be relatively simple and inexpensive. “For between $100 and $150 the asbestos consultants we contacted sealed off the room, created a negative pressure room with a HEPA vacuum system, performed the sampling in Tyvek ‘space suits’ with full respirator systems and glove bags, and then had the results back to us within a day,” said John Langdoc.

About John Langdoc

John Langdoc is an environmental attorney who works on behalf of consumers. As a tireless consumer advocate, Langdoc has investigated dozens of environmental cancer causes and worked with scientists and legal teams to address the concerns.