Asbestos is safe? Don't think so How dangerous is asbestos-laden attic insulation?

It's a question that's long been on homeowners' minds as the Environmental Protection Agency continues an unprecedented cleanup of homes and commercial properties in Libby, where the former W.R. Grace & Co. vermiculite mine produced the Zonolite that was largely used for insulation.

A federal bankruptcy court judge addressed the question last week with a ruling in a class-action lawsuit filed against Grace on behalf of homeowners whose dwellings contain Zonolite attic insulation. The judge's bottom line: A typical homeowner's exposure to the insulation does not pose an "unreasonable risk of harm."

Claimants failed to provide epidemiological evidence or any risk assessment that would deem attic insulation unreasonably harmful, the judge decided. So, should we all run up to our attics and jump around in the stuff?

Absolutely not.

Kalispell lawyer Allan McGarvey makes a good point when he says the ruling doesn't mean it's safe to go to the attic and disturb Zonolite. He also pointed out that this court decision focuses on one particular issue - the risk of exposure for typical homeowners who rarely and minimally disturb the Zonolite in their attics. Typical is the key word here.

Of course there are many occasions when insulation could be disturbed by tradesmen doing electrical, plumbing or remodeling work in homes. Ironically, the thing claimants wanted to get out of the lawsuit - a warning system about the dangers of Zonolite attic insulation - could be lost if the public falsely perceives that there's no danger from coming in contact with Zonolite.

It's reassuring to know the EPA will continue its commitment to Libby cleanup, regardless of what a bankruptcy judge in Delaware thinks.

That said, the federal agency needs to strive for consistency in its publications that explain asbestos dangers to the public. EPA investigators recently found that two agency documents send mixed messages about living with asbestos.

In the brochure "Living with Vermiculite," the EPA recommends that homeowners not disturb asbestos because safe levels are unknown. But it further states homeowners would have little risk of exposure if they handle asbestos while cleaning an undefined small release of the contaminant. That brochure reportedly has since been taken out of circulation.

How dangerous is asbestos-laden attic insulation? Without the toxicology studies still needed for Libby asbestos, no one can say what level or amount of exposure is safe. So would somebody please tell it to the judge?