Thread: Can breathing in insulation have health issues?

breathing in any dust can have health issues if these are fiberglass then yes

Of course, but taking that into account, I've breathed in all sorts of dust in my life including quite a bit of fibreglass from bats, and also asbestos . Some people may be ultra sensitive and they are allergic to the 21st century, and some will die if they eat a peanut.
With hindsight I would have been a lot more careful but we just didn't know any better in the old days.
I very much doubt that you'll have any problems unless you've been installing bats all your life without wearing a mask of any sort.

The grim reaper will come for us all one day, but I won't let the fear of death or illness rule my life. If you can't do anything about it, then don't worry about it.

edit:
Rule 1. Don't sweat the small stuff.

Rule 2. Everything is small stuff (including death ).

Thanks Pawnhead that's eased my mind somewhat, I'll hopefully learn as things go on to be a bit more careful. Sometimes I'm just so keen to get things done, I forget about the materials around me and that I need to be more prepared when working on or near certain things. Have a good Christmas.

Breathing in dust won't affect you in the short term but IT WILL as you get older. I wore a respirator etc most times, when I was working in conditions that I could barely see after cutting brick walls etc. Airborne brick/ concrete/cement dust plus years ago we used asbestos pulp (before anyone knew the dangers) to lag hot water lines. There were clouds of this crap all about as one mixed it.

I am approaching retirement and have been diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis and have lost, in my last test 18 months ago, about 15% of my lung capacity. My condition has deteriorated and I am awaiting more tests as I am becoming more short of breath.

Look after your health.

Originally Posted by Jacksin

I am approaching retirement and have been diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis ....

Can I ask what you do for a living? Were you exposed to "dusty" conditions on a daily basis?

Jacksin - Sorry to hear about your health - best of luck to you and hope it turns out okay.

Mr eddie - I'm glad you were wearing a mask - good on you for thinking ahead - some protection is better than nothing.

As a geologist working on a lead mine, I'm well aware of the need for protective equipment on a daily basis. The dust here is toxic, and fatal given a large enough dose. I've also worked on mines which had asbestos in the ore, and have dealt with that too.

On topic - dust is dangerous. Period. Any dust. Flour, cement, sand, brick dust, clay; it doesn't matter.

Fibrous forms of insulation? Yes. Dangerous.

Don't risk working with any obviously dusty or fibrous material without wearing proper protection. For fibreglass batts, brick dust, and practically anything work around the house might produce, I use a minimum P2 grade Sundstrom mask for dust protection. Same goes for brick dust, cement, anything with silica in it. I even use it for lawn-mowing.

I don't trust paper masks to keep the flies off, let alone tiny dust. Paper masks are all just P1 grade and rarely, if ever, fit your face properly. Don't use them.

I look stupid with my Sundstrom on but its safe. 'Nuff said.

Will try to find a pic of me in it lol

You're gonna die, we all are, but you want to avoid the stuff that kills you slowly and painfully.
I don't think that a lungfull of fibreglass dust will hurt you too much but done regularly, it's a different story.

Best wishes to all.

Gooner for many years I was a plumber, cutting and chasing brickwork for hot & cold water piping, way back when houses were solid brick. Plus working in demolition for bathroom/kitchen upgrades and yes crawling around in insulated roofs when plumbing and later when I was an installer for Galaxy Pay TV.