Would A House Built In 1979 Have Asbestos? Key Facts

If your house was built in 1979, there is a real chance it contains asbestos. The mineral was used heavily in home construction throughout the 1970s, and it was not fully banned in the United States until the late 1980s and 1990s. The year 1979 falls squarely in the middle of the peak asbestos era, meaning you need to be careful before any renovation or demolition work.

Why 1979 Is A High-Risk Year For Asbestos

Asbestos was a miracle material for builders. It resisted heat, fire, and electricity. It added strength to cement and insulation. It was cheap and abundant.

During the 1970s, asbestos was in thousands of building products. The Environmental Protection Agency began regulating some uses in the early 1970s, but a full ban never happened. Instead, the EPA issued a rule in 1989 that was largely overturned in court in 1991. The result is that asbestos was never completely banned in the US, but its use dropped sharply after the 1970s.

So a house built in 1979 is right at the edge of the danger zone. Some materials from that year will contain asbestos. Others will not. You cannot tell by looking.

Where Asbestos Was Commonly Used In 1970s Homes

Builders used asbestos in many places that are now hidden behind walls and under floors. The most common locations in a 1979 home include:

• Floor tiles and sheet flooring — vinyl tiles often contained asbestos in the backing or the tile itself. The adhesive used to stick them down also frequently contained asbestos.
• Ceiling textures and popcorn ceilings — spray-on textured ceilings were a popular style in the 1970s and often contained asbestos.
• Insulation — loose-fill insulation in attics and walls sometimes contained asbestos. Pipe insulation around heating systems and water heaters was a common source.
• Roofing and siding — asphalt shingles and cement siding products often included asbestos fibers for strength and fire resistance.
• Drywall joint compound — the mud used to tape and finish drywall seams frequently contained asbestos in this era.
• Textured paints and patching compounds — these often contained small amounts of asbestos.
• Furnace and boiler insulation — the blankets and boards used around heating equipment were commonly asbestos-based.

Each of these materials poses a different level of risk. The danger depends on whether the material is intact or damaged.

The Real Danger: Damaged Or Disturbed Asbestos

Asbestos is not dangerous when it is sealed inside a material and left alone. The fibers are locked in place. You are not breathing them.

The danger comes when the material is damaged, cut, sanded, drilled, or broken. That releases microscopic fibers into the air. Once inhaled, those fibers can lodge in lung tissue and stay there for decades. Over time, they can cause serious diseases including lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis.

In a 1979 home, the risk depends on the condition of the asbestos-containing materials. If the popcorn ceiling is intact and painted, the risk is low. If it is crumbling or you are scraping it off, the risk is high. If the floor tiles are whole and covered with new flooring, the risk is low. If you are pulling them up and breaking them, the risk is high.

The diseases linked to asbestos exposure typically develop 20 to 50 years after exposure. That means someone exposed during a 1979 renovation could only now be showing symptoms. This is why the material is taken so seriously.

How To Know If Your 1979 House Has Asbestos

You cannot identify asbestos by sight. The fibers are microscopic. You need a laboratory test.

If you are planning any renovation, the first step is to hire a certified asbestos inspector. They will take samples from suspect materials and send them to an accredited laboratory for analysis. The lab uses polarized light microscopy to identify asbestos fibers. This is the standard method and it is reliable.

Testing costs vary but are modest compared to the cost of a renovation. A few hundred dollars for testing can save you from a much larger cleanup bill later. More importantly, it can protect your health and the health of your family.

Some people skip testing because they assume the house is too new to have asbestos. That assumption can be expensive and dangerous. The 1980s and even early 1990s homes can still contain asbestos in some products. A 1979 home is well within the risk window.

What To Do If You Find Asbestos In Your Home

If the asbestos-containing material is in good condition and not being disturbed, the safest and cheapest option is often to leave it alone. Intact asbestos does not release fibers into the air.

If the material is damaged or you need to remove it for renovation, you have two options: repair or removal.

Repair involves sealing the material so fibers cannot escape. This can mean painting over a popcorn ceiling, wrapping damaged pipe insulation, or covering old floor tiles with new flooring. This is less expensive and less risky than removal.

Removal is necessary in some cases, especially if the material is badly damaged or will be disturbed by the work you plan to do. Asbestos removal is not a DIY project. It requires a licensed asbestos abatement contractor. These professionals follow strict procedures to contain the work area, keep fibers from spreading, and dispose of the waste properly.

Do not attempt to remove asbestos yourself. Homeowners who try often contaminate their entire house. The fibers get into carpets, furniture, and HVAC systems. Cleaning that up costs far more than hiring a professional in the first place.

Asbestos Laws And Disclosure When Selling A 1979 Home

There is no federal law requiring a homeowner to disclose the presence of asbestos before selling a house. Some states have their own disclosure requirements, but many do not.

This means a 1979 home can be sold without the buyer ever knowing asbestos is present. If you are buying, you should ask. If you are selling, you should know what is in your walls before you list the property.

Real estate contracts often include general disclosure statements, but asbestos is frequently not mentioned. A home inspection typically does not include asbestos testing unless specifically requested. If you are buying a 1979 home, consider having an asbestos inspection done before you close. It is a small cost compared to the price of the house and it gives you critical information.

Sellers who know about asbestos are generally not required to fix it. The presence of asbestos does not necessarily make a home unsellable. Many homes with asbestos sell normally because the material is intact and not an immediate hazard.

Asbestos In 1979 Homes Vs. Older Homes

Homes built before 1970 are even more likely to contain asbestos. The risk does not stop at 1979 either. Some products continued to contain asbestos well into the 1980s and 1990s.

The table below shows the general risk level by construction era:

Every home is different. The only way to know for certain is to test suspect materials. Age alone is not a guarantee of safety or danger, but 1979 is definitely a year where caution is warranted.

Health Risks: What Decades Of Research Shows

The link between asbestos and disease is one of the most thoroughly documented in medicine. Research consistently shows that inhaling asbestos fibers can cause serious illness.

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lungs or abdomen that is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure. Lung cancer is also strongly linked to asbestos, especially in people who smoke. Asbestosis is a scarring of lung tissue that causes progressive shortness of breath.

The risk is dose-related. More exposure means more risk. But there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. Even brief exposure can cause disease in some people, though the risk is much lower than with long-term occupational exposure.

Most people with asbestos-related disease were exposed at work over many years. Construction workers, shipyard workers, and insulation installers had the highest exposures. Homeowners doing a single renovation project have a much lower risk, but that risk is not zero.