I had the drywall in the kitchen of my condo (built 1980) inspected for asbestos about a year ago. To do this, the tester removed half-dollar-size pieces of the wall for testing. It turns out there wasn't any asbestos in the drywall, so I just left the holes unrepaired as they were near the floor and I never have guests over anyway (lol.) But I realized there might be other asbestos-containing material inside the walls, like insulation, and I was wondering if any of that could have gotten into the air, and if so, how much I would have been exposed to over this past year. Also, there is significant water damage behind the walls I had tested, if that makes any potential asbestos release more likely.
1 Answer
If you were not making dust to breathe from the space behind the wall, approximately zero asbestos exposure, if there's even any there to begin with. 1980 is a bit late for most new installations.
Mold from having wet walls festering might be more of an actual concern, but if it's asbestos you're fixated on, little cause for concern.
