Why should not you choose insulating foam sprayed on fiberglass?

Aerosol insulating foam has advantages, but the price of health and the incorporated carbon is simply too high.

A well-known website for home-based people recently published an article titled "Here's Why You Should Use Foam Spray on Fiberglass". Although it was much more expensive, they noted that it worked much better. "Spray foam can prevent cold air from getting through your house, while fiberglass can cause air leaks that will contribute to warmer or cooler temperatures in your home depending on weather conditions." . "

I'll admit that I used to love pulverized foam, and even to have a part of it at home, where the ceiling was narrow. If I started again, I would not have it at home. Here's why:

Spray foam does not necessarily stop cold air much better than fiberglass.
It can shrink and move away from the framing. Allison Bailes of Energy Vanguard notes:

I only saw it once, and it was with closed-cell foam, but I heard that it also happened with open cell foam. . I do not know the details, but I've heard that this could result from a bad batch of chemicals, an inappropriate mix or a too high temperature. Whatever the cause, it is not a good thing.

The foam spray should not be installed by people at home, but by professionals.
It heals by an exothermic reaction generating a lot of heat. If you apply it too thick, it can cause fires.

Spray foam poses a risk of toxic fire after installation.

One type of insurance called it "solid essence". When it burns, our very toxic chemicals, including dioxins, are exposed to it.

The spray foam is full of dangerous flame retardants.
because it's so flammable; they can wash and are endocrine disruptors. In her report, Margaret Badore noted that "According to the Centers for Disease Control," flame retardants, such as halogenated compounds, are persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals ".

Spray foam is made from a long list of unhealthy chemicals.

A recent study ranked it at the bottom of the list of insulators ranked according to their health hazard. (Fiberglass was almost at the top!) Some people develop chemical sensitivities to chemicals and are constantly sick when they are in an isolated house with spray foam. Robert Riversong wrote:

In too many cases, homeowners had to permanently leave their new or newly renovated homes because of a chemical sensitivity apparently caused by insulation. As we know from other chemical sensitizers, such as formaldehyde, initial exposure causes increased and sometimes debilitating reactions to a wide variety of chemicals.

Spray foam contains a huge amount of carbon because it is made from fossil fuels.
Chris Magwood has calculated that isolating a house with spray foam rejects more CO2 in the atmosphere than it saves on the life of the home.

Aerosol foam is just as sensitive to poor installation as fiberglass or other insulation.
Alison Bailes describes installations where places were missed, where the thickness was insufficient, where it was only sloppy. He concludes: "Do not assume that just because a house is insulated with spray foam, it automatically wins, every product has its pitfalls, and spray foam is no exception."

The aerosol foam has some outstanding features, including its high R-value per inch and its ability to act as a continuous air barrier when properly installed. But I have come to the conclusion that the price, in terms of health and carbon incorporated, is simply too high. And, there are many more environmentally friendly isolations.