When heated to around 1000 degrees c it pops or puffs up which creates pockets of air.
Vermiculite attic insulation uk.
It can be gold light brown or gray in color and bears a resemblance to small piece of popcorn.
This expanded form and the fact that vermiculite does not burn made the material suitable for use as insulation.
Up until the early 1990 s much of this insulation was sold in bags under the brand name of zonolite.
Unfortunately almost all vermiculite insulation contains asbestos and is unsafe when disturbed.
One of the types of attic insulation that i find occasionally in my home inspections is a loose fill product called vermiculite.
The concerns about the dangers with vermiculite insulation in the uk stem from the fact that until the 1990s most vermiculite originated from a mine in america which also contained asbestos deposits.
Vermiculite is also known as micafil we stock and sell the product in 100l 100 lire bags 3 5 cubic ft bags of lightweight chips and it is a fantastic alternative to many other insulation options.
Is all vermiculite a health concern.
Vermiculite was a common attic insulation product sold from the late 1920s to the early 1990s.
It could be purchased locally and could be installed by contractor or homeowner.
Vermiculite is a silver gold to gray brown mineral that is flat and shiny in its natural state.
Vermiculite is a 100 natural attic insulation material made from aluminium iron magnesium silicates and it consists of thin flat flakes.
These deposits contaminated the vermiculite and then became transferred into people s homes.