# Shiny Gold Dust mixed in with insulation



## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

Looks like mold from here. I have run across yellow mold in the past. I couldn't tell you what exactly the health risk associated with it. I have always just swept it off.


----------



## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Could be some remnants from the Vermiculite. I've seen it like that before where someone cleaned out the Vermiculite to add new insulation and some flecks of it were left behind.


----------



## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

Any sand/dust storms in your climate/area....?????


----------



## RetroJoe_1 (Nov 19, 2017)

Gymschu said:


> Could be some remnants from the Vermiculite. I've seen it like that before where someone cleaned out the Vermiculite to add new insulation and some flecks of it were left behind.


As far as I was aware all of the insulation was the original stuff and it had never been changed. I hope it's not asbestos.


----------



## RetroJoe_1 (Nov 19, 2017)

MTN REMODEL LLC said:


> Any sand/dust storms in your climate/area....?????


Not really. It's not a Sandy environment


----------



## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

RetroJoe_1 said:


> As far as I was aware all of the insulation was the original stuff and it had never been changed. I hope it's not asbestos.


 I think it is just rock wool 
https://inspectapedia.com/insulation/Rock-wool-insulation-identification.php


----------



## RetroJoe_1 (Nov 19, 2017)

Nealtw said:


> I think it is just rock wool
> https://inspectapedia.com/insulation/Rock-wool-insulation-identification.php


 I brought a bag of a sample that I took yesterday to a local environmental lab and the gentleman's first instinct was that it might be vermiculite. But then he took a picture of it with a Flash and noticed that they look like little beads or possibly eggs. It's being sent off to the lab to test for asbestos but he said he hadn't seen anything that looked quite like this before.


----------



## Marky82 (Dec 17, 2015)

Maybe sap from the wood drying over the years or grit from roof shingles?


----------



## jMontNJ (Aug 25, 2020)

My house was built in 1950 and I have the exact same insulation with the fine gold dust/beads. What were the results of your test? Does it contain asbestos? Is it vermiculite?  Or dried beads of sap from the wood rafters as another user suggested?

Just curious because you never updated with your results/findings.


----------



## rmisaacs (Feb 25, 2021)

jMontNJ said:


> My house was built in 1950 and I have the exact same insulation with the fine gold dust/beads. What were the results of your test? Does it contain asbestos? Is it vermiculite? Or dried beads of sap from the wood rafters as another user suggested?
> 
> Just curious because you never updated with your results/findings.





jMontNJ said:


> My house was built in 1950 and I have the exact same insulation with the fine gold dust/beads. What were the results of your test? Does it contain asbestos? Is it vermiculite? Or dried beads of sap from the wood rafters as another user suggested?
> 
> Just curious because you never updated with your results/findings.


When I was younger, I worked directly with vermiculite insulation in a greenhouse. They called it vermiculite, but I was 18-20 years old at the time and didn’t know any better. I happened to notice the bag said “level 3 biohazard”. I informed my peers and management, but no one seemed concerned. I decided to wear a dust mask. After one day, the dust mask was covered in that fine gold dust. This happened around 2006. It lingers in my mind that I am going to get sick from it.


----------



## Nick 44 (May 21, 2021)

Has anyone found out what this gold colored dust is? I pulled up my pink insulation to start cutting HVAC vents in attic and found it there. House was built in 1960's. It resembles pepper and is







air born when disturbed. Attached is a photo.


----------



## RetroJoe_1 (Nov 19, 2017)

Nick 44 said:


> Has anyone found out what this gold colored dust is? I pulled up my pink insulation to start cutting HVAC vents in attic and found it there. House was built in 1960's. It resembles pepper and is
> View attachment 653628
> air born when disturbed. Attached is a photo.


We ended up figuring out that it was actually coming from the wood. The heat and humidity would get so high that the wood started sweating weird gold liquid. That would then break down and turn into this dust. I had it tested to make sure it wasn't Asbestos and it was negative. I found pieces of the wood with the liquid dried up on it and took photos. The dust was collected underneath it. The test did come back positive for 15% quartz and 85% non fibrous material.


----------

