TimeLine

YEAR		Notable Historical Events in the fiberglass Insulation Industry
1897		Fiberglass Invented.
1930s		Scientist discover asbestos can cause fatal scarring in lung tissues.
1938		Owens-Corning develops a process to manufacture microscopic glass fibers that are sprayed with chemicals to form fiberglass insulation.
1955		Memo to Owens-Corning president notes: "For the first time, medical literature now carries two articles which indicate that glass fibers can be harmful to human lungs. These articles can be cited effectively in damage suits against us."
1973	$$$	Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upholds the judgment in Borel v. Fiberboard of $68,000 for the asbestos death of Clarence Borel. Triggers 25,000 lawsuits in the ten years following.
1982	$$$	John Manville Corp files for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to protect itself from asbestos lawsuits.
1988		Cancer warning labels printed on fiberglass products.
1990		Australia sets maximum fiberglass exposure standard at *fibers per cubic centimeter or f/cc, for measurement purposes.
1991		OSHA mandates cancer warning labels on products containing fiberglass that may become airborne, including fiberglass insulation.
1993		National Toxicology Program unanimously agrees that fiberglass is "reasonably anticipated to cause cancer in humans."
1993		Fiberglass listed in the Seventh Annual Report on Carcinogens.
1993		Germany classifies fiberglass as "having carcinogenic potential".
1994		Article in The American Journal of Industrial Medicine notes that "on a fiber-per-fiber basis, glass fibers may be as potent or more potent than asbestos."
1994	$$$	Lilly Brown settles for $825,000 for fiberglass related injuries received at her workplace due to improperly installed HVAC system that permitted fiberglass contamination.
1994		United Kingdom sets maximum fiberglass exposure standard at 2 f/cc.
1994		The Netherlands tightens its maximum fiberglass exposure limit standard to 3 f/cc.
1995		OSHA adds fiberglass and rock wool to its Priority Planning Process.
1996		The Natural Resources Defense Council determines that "substantial and well documented public health threats are associated with fiberglass" after completing a comprehensive review of toxicology studies.
1997		Washington Post Magazine reports that OSHA, EPA, The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission are considering new fiberglass standards.
1998		California Air Contaminants Advisory Committee recommends a 1 f/cc limit for fiberglass.
1998		NAIMA (the fiberglass and rock wool manufacturers association) submits a voluntary proposal to OSHA that includes a 1 f/cc limit.
2000	$$$	Owens-Corning Fiberglass files for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to protect itself from asbestos lawsuits. So does USG Corp. (building materials manufacturer) and the chemical giant, W.R. Grace & Co. among others...
2001		The Association for Better Insulation grows out of the need for a public focus on energy efficiency that is mandated by the under stated energy crisis we now face. It also bothers the Association that 80% of homes are being insulated against the public interest with less than safe materials. The energy crisis reality is that the infrastructure could not keep up with the wide-open, wasteful demands we were (and are) putting on it. The lights went out in California, for God's sake! It really could happen in any town, even yours, so the Association and website were created to provide solid, fully documented information and options to the public, as well as providing free energy efficiency inspections by the professional membership as a public service to make it EASIER for the individual homeowner to contribute to the solution and save money and energy. Less energy needed means: Less energy produced, which equals =Less air pollution from producing energy. (the #1 cause) (Utilizing the SAFE insulations on the ABI site is recommended.)
2001		The Banking Industry begins to require people approved for a home construction loan to sign a separate agreement holding the bank "blameless" for any health problems that may arise and be attributed to insulation materials used in the home's construction. 46,000 New litigations filed in the first 6 months of 2001 is enough to put fear in any related industry...considering there have been 327,000 claims since 1977. Or are the symptoms just starting to show? Whatever it is, banks and *insurers are buying CYA stamps!

CURRENT STATUS: The acceptable level of fiberglass exposure has dropped to just 1 fiber per cubic centimeter. (According to NAIMA [the fiberglass industry's lobbying group] ) this is a "healthier" exposure limit for fiberglass insulation installers. It should be noted that this is also the "acceptable" exposure limit that was initially set for asbestos).

So, fiberglass insulation installers can now rest assured that they will not be exposed to fiberglass in hazardous concentrations, right? Sadly, this isn't true. Studies have shown that fiberglass insulation installers are exposed to an average of 7 f/cc, while some short term exposures have been reported as high as 30 f/cc, exposure levels which have been estimated as being considerably higher than the lifetime cancer risk acceptable by the EPA. (click here for symptoms of fiberglass overdose)

The bureaucrats and the fiberglass manufacturers have agreed on a maximum acceptable exposure level, but there is no on-site monitoring and no medical monitoring, despite studies that show installers are exposed to 7 to 30 times the acceptable exposure levels!

There is one simple step that fiberglass insulation companies and installers can take to improve safety and save lives. USE A MATERIAL THAT IS NOT CONSIDERED A PUBLIC HEALTH HAZARD!!! Cellulose, Foams and Foil Insulation are not only safer for the installer and the consumer, they are simply a better insulation that provides superior thermal and acoustical insulation performance when compared to fiberglass. Healthier, safer, use less energy to produce, are more effective insulations, have better R-Values, and insulate homes better as well as being environmentally friendly and made by using an average of 75% recycled material! It seems time to re-think a bit.

So, what's the problem here? Why is fiberglass still used in 80% of new home construction? The insulation industry is a billion dollar industry. Contractors have been using fiberglass for years. Surely if it was that bad, the government wouldn't allow it to be used, right? Sadly, the government is notoriously slow at reacting to public danger, especially if the industry has a lot of money to throw around. Remember ASBESTOS? How many people had to die before the government reacted? And then they only reacted AFTER some major lawsuits were won by victims. This is the information age. You are hereby notified and informed. The truth is out there. And it isn't pretty and it isn't pink. Stop the insanity. Demand Cellulose, Foams or Foil. Boycott fiberglass and say a prayer for the fiberglass insulation installers. Most are unaware and truly victims. The world appreciates your help. To be aware that our individual choices have a global effect is a good thing.

*Many insurance companies are visiting this site, so we dedicate this space to a question that needs to be asked of them. Why is it that the safe insulations presented on this site and the companies that install them are forced to pay the same premiums for workers comp and health insurance being classified along with fiberglass as working in a health risk industry even though this is not true? This membership requests the creation of a new category to facilitate the inevitable trend to using safer materials in building construction. Thank you for your consideration.