Asbestos has been used in hundreds of applications and products over the past 4,500 years. The ancient Greeks wove it into oil lamp wicks, funeral shrouds and ceremonial tablecloths. During the 1800s, it insulated the hot engines, boilers and piping that powered the Industrial Revolution. For half a century, until the 1980s, asbestos was used in office buildings, public buildings and schools. It insulated hot water heating systems, and was put into walls and ceilings as insulation against fire and sound.

Vermiculite insulation is the prominent source of asbestos in most homes. Homes built or renovated prior to 1991 may have had vermiculite insulation added to their home. The attic is the most common area where vermiculite was used.

Prior to its close in 1990, much of the world's supply of vermiculite came from a mine near Libby, Montana. This mine had a natural deposit of asbestos which resulted in the vermiculite being contaminated with asbestos. Attic insulation produced using vermiculite ore, particularly ore that originated from the Libby mine, may contain asbestos fibers. Today, vermiculite is mined at three US Facilities and in other countries which have low levels of contamination in the finished material.

The average home owner cannot tell if a material contains asbestos simply by looking at it, unless it is labeled. If in doubt, treat the material as if it contains asbestos or have it sampled and analyzed by a qualified professional. A professional should take samples for analysis, since a professional knows what to look for, and because there may be an increased health risk if fibers are released. In fact, if done incorrectly, sampling can be more hazardous than leaving the material alone.

Asbestos professionals can conduct home inspections, take samples of suspected material, assess its condition, and advise about what corrections are needed and who is qualified to make these corrections. Once again, material in good condition need not be sampled unless it is likely to be disturbed. Professional correction or abatement contractors repair or remove asbestos materials.

Asbestos exposure becomes a health concern when high concentrations of asbestos fibers are inhaled over a long time period.[34] People who become ill from inhaling asbestos are often those who are exposed on a day-to-day basis in a job where they worked directly with the material. As a person's exposure to fibers increases, because of being exposed to higher concentrations of fibers and/or by being exposed for a longer time, then that person's risk of disease also increases. Disease is very unlikely to result from a single, high-level exposure, or from a short period of exposure to lower levels.

The Barrie Home Inspector has been trained to identify and inspect asbestos in the home. Hiring a professional home inspector can protect you and potentially save you from thousands of dollars in asbestos removal expenses. Many people may cover insulation like vermiculite with a blown insulating product which makes visual detection impossible without actually entering attic and moving existing insulation. Using the Barrie Home Inspector will provide Peace of Mind when purchasing your next property.