While touching fiberglass doesn't usually lead to long-term effects on your health, exposure to it may cause intense itching, redness, or a rash. So, it's important to remove fiberglass from your skin as soon as possible so it doesn't come in contact with your eyes, nose, or throat.
Brushing against, moving or touching the insulation can dislodge those glass fibers, allowing them to lodge into skin, eyes, and be breathed in to irritate the throat and lungs.
Fiberglass in the skin can cause itchiness, pain, and irritation. In some cases, fiberglass may come out on its own.
You can spread the insulation the old-fashioned way – by hand – pouring the material straight out of the bags into the cavities between the floor joists. Spread it around with a garden rake or broom. To coax it into difficult-to-reach areas, try a yardstick or short pole. Leave it loose, not packed down.
OSHA requires hand protection in cases where the skin is exposed to hazards. Not only can the mechanics of cutting insulation materials pose a potential danger, but the materials themselves may irritate the skin and cause dermatitis. Therefore, wearing gloves is crucial when handling insulation.
Avoid taking a hot shower if you have fiberglass in your skin. The heat can open your pores and allow the fiberglass particles to work their way deeper into your skin. Instead, it is best to wash the exposed area with cold water and soap.
What Happens If You Compress Blown-In Insulation? Like batts, compressing blown-in fiberglass insulation improves the R-value per square inch while diminishing the overall R-value. Also like fiberglass batts, some amount of compression is OK if the cavity is completely filled.
Personal Protective Equipment
This includes a dust mask or respirator to protect your lungs, safety glasses or goggles to protect your eyes, work gloves to protect your hand and clothing that covers every part of your body. At a minimum, you should wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants and tall socks.
Properly installed foam insulation is safe to touch, breathe near, and even to cut pieces from. You could compare spray foam insulation to table salt. Table salt is made of two elements from the periodic table: chlorine and sodium. These two elements are poisonous and not something we would eat.
Slather on petroleum jelly or use isopropyl alcohol for a gentle send-off. For tougher cases, acetone-based nail polish remover does the trick—just keep it away from flames. If all else fails, gently scrape with pumice stones or emery boards and wash up after.
In general, the color of insulation doesn't equal better performance over another color. Whether it's pink, white, brown, or yellow—color doesn't influence dependability, reliability, or the products effectiveness.
Skin contact Prolonged skin contact may cause temporary irritation. Skin irritation should not occur when used as recommended. Eye contact May cause discomfort.
Health hazards of interacting with exposed insulation include: Risks of skin, eye and lung irritation. Potential for mold and mildew growth. Risk of increased health problems for kids, as uncovered insulation isn't child-proof.
While touching fiberglass doesn't usually lead to long-term effects on your health, exposure to it may cause intense itching, redness, or a rash. So, it's important to remove fiberglass from your skin as soon as possible so it doesn't come in contact with your eyes, nose, or throat.
Always wear gloves and long sleeves when dealing with exposed insulation. Fiberglass particles can also get into your eyes, causing redness, itching, and watering. If this happens, rinse your eyes with clean water immediately. Wearing safety goggles can help prevent this issue.
Pink insulation is fiberglass. Strands of fiberglass bound together by what are often unhealthy chemicals. You can't touch it. Or you can, but it will leave you itching.
Exposure to fiberglass can cause irritation in the eyes, nose, or throat. It may also cause itching and irritation when the fibers get stuck in the skin. These effects are temporary and go away after exposure ends.
Squashing your insulation reduces its effectiveness by 50%
Numerous studies on the topic have indicated that there's a huge number of Britons who don't understand why doing this is so problematic. Mineral wool type insulation (the most common loft insulation) needs to retain its full depth in order to work effectively.
Never place insulation close to water heaters, oil burners or anything hot. The backing is especially flammable and will be a major fire hazard for your home.
If you notice irritation after exposure to fiberglass, get fiberglass out of your skin immediately to prevent further damage. Some fibers will eventually come out of the skin by themselves.
A safe home environment begins with the materials used to build it. Owens Corning® PINK Next Gen™ Fiberglas™ insulation is made with safe, proven ingredients that naturally resist fire and do not support mold growth, with no formaldehyde and no fire retardants added to the fiberglass.
When installing any kind of insulation, it's not just the equipment you need to consider; it is equally important to take all necessary health and safety precautions. This includes wearing protective gear, such as goggles to protect your eyes and a mask to avoid inhaling any unwanted fibres or debris.