The risk for asbestos contamination is extremely small: less than the risk of illness from mold or bacterial contamination. So I would have 2 feet of drywall removed.

Thank you. This is the direction I am leading. You put the crux of the issue perfectly: it is the risk of mold, bacterial contamination, and pathogens vs. the possibility of asbestos contamination. Both would be bad, so that is the choice. They would have to cut out probably 2 walls worth of drywall up to two feet high, but I am not sure exactly which walls or how many feet of the walls they would do.

Just gives me a lot of stress.

Your issue is one of risk management: balancing the unknown risk of asbestos, the highly probably risk of mold/mildew/micro contamination, and the risk/cost implications of removing too much drywall. Drywall is cheap. Remove whatever you need to in order to dry out the space quickly--before mold and mildew take over.

Thank you all! Some of the walls are unfinished on one side and finished on the other. Here are some pics from the unfinished sides. Can't know what's in the drywall I guess. It at least pre-dates 1992.

Any thoughts on what kind of material this is?

And here are some pics from the finished sides of the walls. Don't know if any of this would indicate anything one way or another. Unfortunately, the most affected wall is finished on both sides, but presumably that wall is made with the same building material as the above unfinished walls. That wall seems to be the biggest concern since the damage would also be inside the cavity.

@kudzu9 Thank you for your response. These would be prudent steps. I ran my concerns by our cleanup crew, and they agreed I should talk with my insurance adjustor about asbestos testing before cutting/drilling. I would like to get this testing done, and then proceed with a floodcut.

My only concern is what could go wrong with running tests. Even just running a test for asbestos is required on a seller's disclosure. If asbestos is detected, we'd have to do an abatement team to address underlying issues or do nothing due to the presence of asbestos. Then we'd have to disclose to future potential buyers the results of the testing.

Still, it would be a relief for the test to come back with asbestos not present (or under the EPA standard of 1% I guess), and then proceed with correct remediation. Thank you for your insight. I really appreciate it. I am planning to proceed with testing and then proper wall removal.

@Charles Ross Homes Thank you for your response. You put the issue perfectly for me, and I agree it is a choice of risk management. I appreciate your insight.

rorosie-

Although asbestos was sometimes used in wallboard historically, its use in sheetrock (and many other products in the home) was phased out starting in the late-1970s and going into, perhaps, the mid-to-late 1980s. It's hard to say exactly because federal regulations were being put in place during this time, individual manufacturers were making decisions about changing their product formulations, and even some products banned from production were still installed until existing, old supplies were used up.

Having said all this, I think there is a good chance, due to the possible more recent age of your house, that this may not be an issue for you. Good luck with the testing.

I'd spring the $100 for a lab test to be sure. Of course, most renovators won't bother with such namby pamby stuff. Even if there's no asbestos in the drywall, there will likely be in the compound and tape.

(As I fill up the wastebasket every day with used tissue, I fear what all I breathed in during two decades of renovations.)

worthy-

I agree that there could also be asbestos in the tape or mud if the house was old enough. But since this house was possibly built after these products were being used, there is also a fair chance that there is no asbestos. anywhere in the walls.

@worthy,

We had a saying: asbestos for breakfast and lead for lunch.

FYI: The house was built in the late 1940s, and the renovated walls pictured above were put in sometime before 1992.

I am a bit nervous that a test will reveal asbestos above EPA limits and that will lead to costly remediation. No idea how much abatement of three walls of drywall with asbestos would cost or what my insurance would say. Might have to bite the bullet and have the cleaning team just do the flood cut. I called a local asbestos test company, and the expert there told me, “should be ok.” Of course, when I asked the cleaning crew how they would cut the drywall, they told me they would just saw across the wall.

Anyway, the vast majority of people whose opinions I have sought have said they would just do the cut.

Mold can be a more immediate health hazard.

The owners of this house moved out when they got tests showing the whole place was dangerous to them and their children thanks to the previous EIFS (synthetic stucco) reno. Rather than tear it apart, they demolished and re-built.

Just highlighting worst case. (But do get it tested and remove the damage properly to forestall future health problems.)

I had a senior lawyer friend who despite my advice to not just scrape off the '60s popcorn ceiling in her post marriage condo, let her painter do it his way: scrape, sweep and vacuum. She's in her 70s and not really worried about 30 years down the line!

OP update: Just did a close inspect on the unfinished side of the walls in question, and there are multiple panels with manufacture dates of 1993. So, that's all good as far as zero presence of asbestos. I thank everyone for their feedback and insight as I panicked my way through this whole thing.

rorosie-

Great news! I understand it was stressful, but you were just being prudent. What is even more stressful for people is when they realize after the fact that they unknowingly did something risky -- like dry scraping a popcorn ceiling with asbestos -- and they can't go back in time.

Enjoy your renovation :-)

Thanks, kudzu9! Onward to restoring the finished basement better than before.

Get the asbestos test done to e sure, But the minimal exposure does not cause asbestos related issues.