Hi! We have a 55 yr old house and like all the houses in our neighborhood, there is an access panel to the back of our bathtub. Our handyman was changing our bathtub fixtures and when he opened up the access panel, there was a whiteish sheet covering the back of the bathtub. It appeared "squishy."

He commented that the it was "wet" drywall that had been damaged by faulty tiles around the bathtub.

My concern is...could this actually be asbestos insulation? I'm not even sure it would be drywall since our walls are actually plaster.

I am very concerned about it possibly being asbestos b/c the access panel is in our guestroom and on the mainfloor of our house where our baby daughter plays.

Please help!!

The material you describe does not appear to be a likely suspect as asbestos containing, but from my chair, the only way to rule is out is to test. Its fairly easy to take a sample, seal it in a zip-lock bag and send it to a local analytical laboratory for analysis by polarized light microscopy (PLM), about $25.

As far as being a hazard, asbestos is only hazardous when fibers are inhaled. So, it if is mushy, undisturbed, and generally inaccessible, it poses no risk whatsoever. Get the analysis first, then we can take the next step. But if you have a moisture problem in this access panel, you do need to make some repairs, or you will have mold and possible structural issues.