I think I may put this on a t shirt....

@copyright

Touché..

you can use it as long as you post a photo of you wearing it

Seems fair..

I've been researching a particular element and its compounds. They are used in lots of things you have in your house. Fibreglass, Pyrex, your TV screen, anything ceramic. Also, cellulose insulation (the shredded paper).

The chemicals are usually regarded as harmless to humans but they have been shown to make small rodents infertile. Moves are afoot in Europe to have them also classified as hazardous to humans. In most cases, this will not really matter. By the time a consumer gets near anything made of glass or ceramic, the chemicals are fused and wouldn't get into your body, unless you can chew and digest glass.

Some other things are not so simple. These chemicals are also used in things that you can ingest. If the regulation finds favour on this side of the Atlantic, cellulose insulation might become a tad unpopular. It is soaked in the stuff.

Not a carcinogen. Something that may be reprotoxic.

Interesting. I'm guessing boron/borate is the suspect. Do I win anything?


FWIW, my 1925 house has a mix of yellow glass wool and grey rock wool in the attic. But it's mostly insulated with air

The cellulose stuff is popular because it's cheap and easy to place. The construction industry will not be happy if it's restricted.

nothing

You win a cigar.

In reality, there is probably nothing for humans to worry about. In practice, however, I can see the North American manufacturers of non-cellulose insulation having a field day with this. Cellulose could become about as popular as formaldehyde, asbestos and aluminium wiring.

I should probably now get off this tangent and do some real work.

We have aluminum wiring in our home. It's never been an issue, but I'm sure it'll raise its ugly head should we ever decide to sell.

In principle, there is nothing wrong with it. It became popular for a while in the late 1960s, when copper was very expensive. It can be a bugger to work with. It breaks easily and doesn't like being joined to copper. Anything to do with Al wiring is best left to a qualified electrician.

If joining to copper you must use special connectors (Marretts or Wire nuts) purple or brown in colour, specifically for copper-aluminum.

Cuban would be nice, but curse that embargo

I knew someone who UFFI'd his house before the s***storm... he said it lowered his heating bill to 25% of what it had been. I never found out what he did in the aftermath.

Interesting stuff here as we sometimes remove insulation from attics with the duct clean truck vacuum. It's hard work and even though we divert it straight into a dumpster it comes out at such a velocity it tends to shower fine dust particles everywhere.
Now we have done plenty of wood shavings without issue but i never touch vermiculite without getting a check done as this can be asbestos containing.
Recently we did a house with the cellulose insulation so maybe this may become an issue as far as removal methods in future.