View Single Post
  #2   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
Evan[_3_] Evan[_3_] is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,106
Default Fiberglass or asbestos?

On Dec 2, 1:30*pm, "bob" wrote:
I opened up a defective hotplate and found a bunch of cotton-like insulation
material inside. I put them into a plastic bag but a lot of short fibers
(less than 1cm long) fall out of the "cotton" which I vacuumed up.

Here's a photo of it:http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/20384895_GsHfRJ

I'm guessing it's fiberglass or asbestos. How can I tell? And is any of
these two material harmful to be around? If I fix the hotplate, should I put
this "cotton" back, or should I use something else?

The heating wires is inside a sheet of mylar-like material and the "cotton"
insulation is used to press the sheet tight against the top of the hotplate.


The vintage/age of the hotplate in question is important in
determining
what type of insulation you are dealing with...

Small fibers of either material are harmful to inhale... It is the
small
fiber particles that embed themselves into the tiny passageways in
the lungs that causes severe health problems with prolonged exposure
over time...

~~ Evan