The Historic and Mid-Century Homes Behind Pensacola Asbestos
Pensacola has one of the deepest stocks of genuinely old housing in Florida, from the historic homes of Seville and North Hill to the mid-century houses built as the city and its naval community grew. That era used asbestos widely because it was cheap, fire-resistant, and effective, which is exactly why it turns up in floor tile and its mastic, in popcorn ceiling texture, in pipe and duct insulation, and in old roofing and siding on these homes today.
Intact and undisturbed, those materials are typically low risk. The exposure event is disturbance. A renovation crew pulling up flooring, a storm-repair crew opening a damaged roof or wall, or an owner scraping a ceiling can release fibers that were safely bound a moment earlier.