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I just found this wire while changing the light switches at a house I bought (built in 1960).

The long "fiber" on the left looks awfully suspicious, is this asbestos?

Thanks

enter image description here

Dyierz
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    Does this answer your question? [Does old household wire insulation pose an asbestos risk?](https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/153861/household-wire-insulation-asbestos-risk) – isherwood Jun 22 '22 at 12:59
  • Or this? [Does this wire covering contain asbestos?](https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/172330/does-this-wire-covering-contain-asbestos) – isherwood Jun 22 '22 at 13:00
  • Or this? [Does the cloth jacket on my wiring contain asbestos?](https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/152025/does-the-cloth-jacket-on-my-wiring-contain-asbestos) – isherwood Jun 22 '22 at 13:00

2 Answers2

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That's the old, old silver fabric covered wire. It was very commonly used and is still functioning in many residences. It normally doesn't get replaced unless there are renovations being done, and then only in the areas being renovated. I seriously doubt that that particular wire contains any asbestos. Asbestos was used usually for high temperature installations, not for general residential or commercial wiring.

The only way to be 100% sure is to have it tested.

Robin Whittleton
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JACK
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Asbestos is not a poison, it's a lung irritant that affected mostly ship builders and others that worked around asbestos day after day. And YES, it did foster asbestosis, a dangerous and usually fatal cancer. But for very very minimal exposure, it's not going to hurt you. Lawyers have cashed in on this, scaring everybody crazy about the slightest exposure.

If you are really paranoid about it, when you work on the wires/cables, with the power off of course, wet it down and work with gloves, dry it before you re-install the switch or outlet. I personally wouldn't bother with any of that, but if you are totally AR, there is no issue with additional protection. I just don't think it's needed.

George Anderson
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    This does not in any way answer the question. – ghellquist Jun 21 '22 at 07:17
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    @ghellquist I disagree with your comment. my answer provided a lot of useful information, while not directly answering the question, my comments re-framed the question into something more meaningful. – George Anderson Jun 21 '22 at 12:18
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    Also, these days everyone should have an abundant supply of N95 or KN95 masks, making working with potential particulate hazards a breeze compared to the past. – R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE Jun 21 '22 at 12:31
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    @R..GitHubSTOPHELPINGICE But if asbestos particles get into the air, aren't they likely to hang around the place (whether in the air, or settling on surfaces where they could be disturbed in future)? Even if the work isn't being done in a living space, OP probably doesn't have airtight seals and airlocks and decontamination procedures. Are you suggesting wearing a mask continually for months afterward? – gidds Jun 21 '22 at 13:40
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    @gidds if the op wet it down, there would be virtually no chance of any contamination, be even if there were, it would be so tiny an amount, it wouldn't matter, this isn't Plutonium. Up until the mid 70s asbestos was commonly used in sheetrock mud as well as the infamous popcorn ceilings. If you're working around that, as in scraping the ceiling or remodeling, yeah, containment and special procedures are def. needed. – George Anderson Jun 21 '22 at 14:52
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    [Asbestosis *is not a cancer*](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/asbestosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20354637), although it does increase the risk of lung cancer. – jaskij Jun 21 '22 at 18:38