Is fiber glass insulation safe to use?

Yes. Fiber glass may cause itchiness and temporary skin irritation in many people handling the products. With respect to more serious effects, fiber glass insulation is one of the most thoroughly tested building materials in use today. Nearly 60 years of extensive research and comprehensive reviews by independent research organizations have concluded that there is no convincing evidence that exposure to fiber glass is associated with respiratory disease or cancer in people. Other insulation materials do not enjoy the same long history of testing as fiber glass insulation.

Cellulose, for example, remains a largely untested commodity. Even though it is composed of approximately 20% chemicals by weight, the cellulose industry has performed little, if any, health and safety testing on its products. Questions about the health and safety aspects of cellulose insulation persist in the building industry. The limited scientific testing conducted on cellulose to date provides no assurance as to the safety of the material, particularly given its high exposure levels. For example, documented worker exposures to respirable cellulose fibers have been measured at 50 to 200 times higher than fiber glass. Clearly, more research is needed.