Vermiculite loft insulation?

SameOldRoundabout

Our main 2 loft spaces are Rockwool/Kingspan insulated, however in the attic bedroom there are a couple of boarded off sections under the eaves. We’ve put a hole in one today as we were hoping to move the toilet over a bit, and the waste pipe is in this box. Inside is a mound of what appears to be vermiculite insulation. I’m worried it may contain asbestos. 

We haven’t disturbed it, just put a hole in the plasterboard above it so it should be okay right? Should we just patch the hole and forget about it or do we need a company in to remove it?

Grenage

It should be fine left undisturbed; it's probably asbestos-free but you can send a sample off for testing if you're concerned.

FreeBear

I wrote a short piece on the subject last August -

FreeBear said: In North America, one manufacturer was producing vermiculite from a mine that also contained asbestos deposits. A fair percentage was thus contaminated and sold across the USA and Canada - Some of it even made its way in to the UK. The mine was shut down in 1990 and strict controls & testing introduced across the industry to filter out asbestos contamination.

It is often claimed that this particular mine (in Libby, Montana) produced some 80% of the global supply of vermiculite - A figure that is not easily verified - Even so, not all of this vermiculite would have contained asbestos, and it would be difficult to establish the levels of contamination. So whilst your loft space does contain vermiculite, if it was installed after 1990, it will not contain asbestos. Prior to that date, it might contain traces of asbestos if it came from one particular mine in the USA. The only way to be certain is to get a sample of the vermiculite tested.

If you are worried about asbestos contamination, the only way to know for sure is to get a sample tested. Fortunately, tests are not hugely expensive - Just pop a sample in a sealed container, post it off to a lab, and for less than £100, you'll get an answer (last time I looked, tests were about £35).