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What should I do if I have vermiculite attic insulation in my home?

Do NOT Disturb It!! Any disturbance has the potential to release asbestos fibers into the air. Limiting the number of trips you make to your attic and shortening the length of those trips can help limit your potential exposure. EPA and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) strongly recommend that:

• Vermiculite insulation be left undisturbed in your attic. Due to the uncertainties with existing testing techniques, it is best to assume that the material may contain asbestos.

• You should not store boxes or other items in your attic if retrieving the material will disturb the insulation.

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  1307 - Editor's Note: This column was originally published on January 26, 2004. We have become a nation totally dependent on electronic devices -- whether they be computers, cell phones, wireless PDA's, facsimile machines or scanners. As a result, millions of Americans have opted to commute from their bedroom down the hall to their "home office," rather than face the stress and hazards of traffic, weather, and indeed, terrorism. Now that tax time is upon us, the question then becomes: Can I deduct any portion of my home for this business use? After all, for every additional dollar that I can deduct for tax purposes, I can save (depending on my tax bracket) 25 to 35 cents. As with any such tax question, we must start with the basic statute, which in this case is Section 280A of the Internal Revenue Code. That section starts out with the general rule: Except as otherwise provided in this section, in the case of a taxpayer who is an individual or an S corporation, no deduction otherwise allowable ... shall be allowed with respect to the use of a dwelling unit which is used by the taxpayer during the taxable year as a residence. But -- like most other sections of the Tax Code -- there are exceptions, exclusions and variations on the theme. Read this Nemmar Real Estate Training article at Insurance, Taxes

   

• Children should not be allowed to play in an attic with open areas of vermiculite insulation.

• If you plan to remodel or conduct renovations that would disturb the vermiculite, hire professionals trained and certified to handle asbestos to safely remove the material.

• You should never attempt to remove the insulation yourself. Hire professionals trained and certified to safely remove the material. 

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