Materials
	Insulation
	Air-barrier materials
	Vapour-barrier materials
	Health and safety considerations

Retrofitting: Health and Safety Considerations

If proper precautions are taken, retrofitting should pose no threat to the health and safety of the occupants or to those doing the work.

Almost all building materials are potentially hazardous, but they can be used easily and safely if they are handled and installed with care.

Each type of retrofit job carries its own risks. Be especially careful when working in roofs and attics, or when making repairs to the inside or outside of a basement wall.

Within This Page

• General construction safety
• Protecting yourself and your family
• Insulation and other particulate materials
• Vermiculite containing asbestos – Health Canada advisory
• Plastic insulation
• Caulking
• Special health considerations

General Construction Safety

• Common tools such as hammers, utility knives, staple guns, ladders, rakes and power tools must be handled with care. More complicated equipment such as blowers, foamers and sprayers require special instruction and practice.
• Have a first-aid kit and a fire extinguisher handy, and know how to use them.
• Protect your back when lifting heavy objects; do not lift and reach at the same time.
• Take special care when handling heavy or bulky objects, especially when going up and down stairs and ladders.
• Smoking is especially hazardous. Do not take smoke breaks near insulation or fumes.
• Keep your work site well organized, with tools out of the way of traffic, and give yourself plenty of clear space to manoeuvre.
• Make sure that the work space is well lighted and ventilated.
• Ensure proper electrical supply for power tools.
• Wear appropriate protective clothing for the job at hand.
• Do not work in an attic on a hot day. Heat stress can cause accidents and serious illness.

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Protecting Yourself and Your Family

Many of today's materials give off particles, fibres or fumes that can be harmful to the installer and anyone in the immediate area. Even natural materials such as sawdust and plaster dust can be harmful. Often the hazard is not from the primary material but from binders, solvents, stabilizers or other additives of which you may not be aware. Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to make your retrofit job safe and effective. Maintaining a clean work area and separating it from the rest of the house will minimize exposure to materials.

• Keep fibrous materials and materials that generate vapours well sealed until they are needed, and close them in containers at the end of the work day.
• Vacuum the work area daily to remove fibres and dust.
• Provide ventilation for the work area and isolate it from the rest of the house by closing doors or hanging curtains of plastic.
• Provide extra ventilation for the rest of the house while the work is in progress and during any curing or drying period.

Take particular care when you work with insulation and other particulate materials, plastic insulation and caulking, and always follow the recommended safety procedures for working with specific materials.

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Insulation and Other Particulate Materials

Fibrous insulation materials such as glass fibre and mineral wool can easily irritate the skin, eyes and respiratory system. Long sleeves, tight cuffs and loose, thick clothing will help minimize any skin irritations. Special barrier creams that protect the skin of people working with fibrous materials are available from safety-supply houses.

Wear goggles whenever there is any possibility that insulation dust will come in contact with the eyes. Eyes can easily become irritated or inflamed by brittle glass or mineral fibres, and permanent damage can result.

Wear a mask for non-toxic particles if there is a possibility of breathing airborne particles of insulation material. The tiny fibres from glass and mineral insulations can cause respiratory tract irritation and lung inflammation. Wear a well-designed, snug-fitting face mask respirator with a particulate filter when handling glass fibre, mineral wool or cellulose fibre insulation. A half-mask respirator with a high-efficiency particulate arrester (HEPA) filter cartridge is recommended when dealing with any insulation that may contain asbestos fibres. The respirators are available through safety-supply houses. Buy filters rated for the material you are using and change the filters according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Warning: Avoid breathing insulation dusts.

If you are working with material that contains or is suspected to contain asbestos, such as vermiculite, do not disturb it. Check with your local or provincial/territorial health authority to determine whether you should consult a professional qualified to work with the material.

Wear a hard hat to prevent head injuries and to protect your hair from insulation particles. A vacuum cleaner is the preferred method of cleaning up fibres or dust. It is a good idea to attach an extension hose to the exhaust port of the vacuum cleaner and to discharge the vacuum cleaner to the outside to keep any particles travelling through the filter from recirculating in the household air. If you must sweep up the material, wet it first to prevent particles from becoming airborne.

Vacuum your clothing to avoid spreading insulation material around the house. Wash work clothes separately from other clothing.

Warning: Older homes, especially those built before 1950, were often painted with lead-based paint. Caution should be exercised, especially when working with windows, doors, trim work, wood siding or porches in older homes. For further information, obtain a copy of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) publication Lead in Your Home (Publication No. 61941) by calling 1 800 668-2642. This publication can also be ordered online free of charge. Look under "Products" in CMHC's catalogue of housing renovation publications.

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Plastic Insulation

Rigid polystyrene insulation is essentially an inert material, but it can shed particles when cut. Use a face mask when cutting board stock.

Polyurethane and polyisocyanurate insulations give off harmful vapours when the rigid boards are being manufactured and when the material is being sprayed in place on the job site. The vapour causes skin and eye irritation and breathing difficulties, even at low levels of exposure. Residual amounts of vapour may be present with the rigid board material. Make sure the work area is well ventilated. These types of rigid boards will also shed particles when cut; use a mask as for polystyrene.

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Caulking

A variety of caulking materials have widely different chemical compositions. However, all caulking materials share the following common characteristics:

• They all use solvents to keep the material pliable until it is installed.
• Once applied, the solvents will evaporate and fumes will be given off as the material sets or cures.

Fumes from caulking can cause respiratory irritation or other allergic reactions. Make sure the work area is well ventilated and provide additional ventilation to the home during the curing period. The curing time can vary from days to weeks.

Note: Do not use exterior-type caulking inside buildings.

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Special Health Considerations

Retrofitting poses potential health problems for people with allergies, asthma or chemical sensitivities. These people can reduce their risk by following a few simple precautions:

• Choose materials carefully.
• Be especially careful when working with the material.
• Plan the work to minimize exposure.

Some materials are less troublesome than others. A careful choice of materials can reduce exposure to irritating substances, or avoid such exposure altogether. For example, rigid board insulations do not shed dust or particles unless they are cut, and some caulkings have a shorter curing period than others. People who are chemically sensitive can use finishing materials, including paints and stains, that have reduced toxicity.

Being cautious when working with materials can also reduce exposure for you and your family. Segregate the work area, using sheets of plastic if necessary, and don't wear work clothing in other areas of the house. Keep the work area clean, vacuuming frequently. Store materials outside of the house until they are needed, and keep caulking tubes, insulation bundles and paint cans closely covered when not in use. Provide additional ventilation to the work area and to the whole house while work is in progress and during curing periods.

Health considerations may be a major factor in the decision to insulate from the outside of the house instead of the inside. If you do work from the inside, plan to do the job as quickly as possible. This may mean hiring a contractor to do all or part of the work or staging an old-fashioned work bee. Where major renovations and retrofit will affect the whole house, you may wish to consider sending the family on a vacation or moving to temporary quarters while the work is under way.

If you have special health concerns, your allergist or family doctor may be able to help you select materials that are more easily tolerated. For the chemically sensitive, this may involve a series of exposure tests to small samples of material. Your allergist also may be able to direct you to contractors who are experienced in undertaking renovation work for clients with allergies or chemical sensitivities.

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