Asbesotos Floor Tile

[nofishfisherman]

Does anyone have any experience with asbestos floor tiles?

I am working on remodeling my basement and I started yesterday by pulling up some ugly linoleum tiles. Underneath are what I suspect are asbestos tiles. Everything started out fine, the linoleum pealed right up leaving the asbestos tiles in place but i started noticing a few of the asbestos tiles were broken into a few large pieces. I am pretty sure they were already broken underneath the linoleum before i started pulling it off. As I kept going in one corner of the room near the floor drain I found several broken tiles or tiles that were no longer stuck to the concrete. I am wondering just how bad this might be. I total there were probably 10 tiles that were either broken or that pulled up completely intact.

When I started seeing more broken tiles i did a little google search and found mixed info. Some said never touch it no matter what and others said as long as its not powder/dust that you can breathe in then you are fine. Some also said the floor tiles had pretty small amounts of asbestos so a 1 time incident probably wouldn't do any damage.

What I ended up doing is wetting everything down with soapy water as I was working so that there wasn't any dust and then I mopped and wiped the floor off cleaning any last spec I could. For the most part it all of the tile stayed in large chunks and I saw no visible dust at all.

The reason I'm asking is because the rest of my basement is also covered in these tiles and I need to pull up more linoleum, I also am putting in a new wall so I'll need to either pull up a few of these asbestos tiles where the wall goes so that I can attach it directly to the concrete without having to go through the asbestos tile first.

I'm just wondering if this minimal contact is enough to worry about, or if a few broken tiles is enough to release the asbestos into the air in the first place.

[PurpleFloyd]

There are lots of rules and regulations that deal with Asbestos and the debate on the necessity of the laws and the steps they make you go through to deal with them.

What I will say is that the best way to keep the asbestos from going airborne is to get a hudson sprayer and wet down the area as you work and then put the contents in a heavy duty garbage bag.

You are not going to die from the exposure you just went through.

[pureinsanity]

In theory, they should have it professionally removed. Hire an asbestos abatement company.

what size are the tiles? 9x9? if so, odds are good it contains asbestos.

You can't see asbestos, even though you might not see dust, it is still there.

If it were me (my home), I would just put on a haz mat suit get a good respirator and go to town after sealing off all vents.

Some say its only bad if you have prolong exposure, others say it takes just one fiber.

I am in a house that has asbestos in most of the house, also ripped out linoleum, plaster, and removed a piece of asbestos insulation from a pipe on a boiler. All contain asbestos.

You can send a piece of the tile off to get it tested for asbestos. But, if it contains it, odds are the dust was already created.

If you can leave it alone I would, but since they are breaking or broken I would just remove them all personally. seems like you got the right idea on what you are doing.

Seal everything off have plenty of garbage bags, old clothes and shoes, a hazmat suit, goggles and safety glasses. Throw your clothes away you are wearing when you are done as well.

Quote:

To Remove Floor Tile

Floor tile is most easily removed from the edges. Use a hammer and putty knife or similar tool to work under the edges of the tile and pop the tile loose. Once the first tile is loose, work the putty knife at a 45 degree angle to gently pop the remaining tiles loose. Avoid excessive breakage during removal to reduce your exposure to asbestos fibers.

To Remove Vinyl Floor Sheeting (Linoleum)

Linoleum may be adhered on the edges or over the entire floor surface. It can be removed by first cutting the material with a utility knife into manageable sections, about 6" wide. Remove the linoleum at the edges by peeling back the material. Use a metal putty knife or razor scraper to scrape the bottom edge of the linoleum. Continue to wet the material as it is scraped and pulled up. The linoleum backing may separate from the linoleum during removal and remain adhered to the floor. Any residual material can be removed by thoroughly wetting with amended water and hand-scrubbing with an abrasive pad.

Waste Materials

Floor tiles should be placed into poly-lined waste boxes. This will prevent additional breakage and potential release of fibers. Linoleum should be wrapped in poly sheeting and sealed with duct tape. Wipe down the exterior of the boxes and poly wrap and remove the waste material from the work area. Continue this process until all flooring has been removed.

Adhesives

In some cases, the adhesives holding the floor tile or linoleum may need to be removed. Chemical solvents or amended water can be used to accomplish this. Check with the manufacturer about using chemical solvents. Some chemical solvents are not compatible with new adhesives. Do not sand or grind adhesives. Adhesives may contain asbestos and fibers may be released into the air through this action.

How do I clean-up?

Clean-up is essential when removing asbestos-containing materials. In this step, you are attempting to remove all the potential asbestos dust and particulate that remains in the work area. The chance of a future asbestos exposure is high if a thorough cleaning and inspection are not done. Wipe all surfaces within the work area with a damp cloth. This includes all poly sheeting in the work area. Rinse the cloth and change the water often to prevent recontamination of surfaces in the work area. Inspect all surfaces for any dirt, dust or debris, and reclean if necessary. All equipment used for removing the flooring material should be cleaned and inspected. Remove all equipment from the work area.

Next, take down the poly sheeting and place it into waste bags. Reinspect the work area and reclean, if necessary. Place all towels and mop heads into waste bags. To decontaminate yourself, wash all exposed skin. Remove your disposable suit by rolling it up inside out and disposing it in a waste bag. Place all poly, towels and other waste into bags and seal with duct tape. It is also recommended that you take a complete shower to remove any potential asbestos fibers still clinging to your body and hair.

Be sure to call and see where you can dispose of asbestos. Regular dumps frown upon asbestos

[pureinsanity]

You are not going to die from the exposure you just went through.

+1

Id be dead already otherwise

[PurpleFloyd]

Likewise.

The good news is the problems don't show up for 30 years so you have 3 decades to party like a rock star until the wheels come off.

[fishshooteat]

water spray bottel will help keep dust down

[SkunkedAgain]

I am in the middle of the same type of remodel, although I didn't have the linoleum over my tiles. For the most part, I haven't had any problems except for a few small tile edges that popped off when I was removing base trim. I put those pieces along with my asbestos ceiling tiles into double construction bags and disposed of them at a waste facility out in Buffalo, MN.

When I just built my new walls, the local building inspector signed off on my plan to put the bottom plate over the top of the tiles. Here is what I did:

- Marked my planned locations to attach the bottom plate to the floor.

- I then used squeezed PL400 adhesive onto the tile where I planned to drive my nails into the concrete floor

- I placed the bottom plate back in place and then drilled pilot holes through my bottom plate and through the asbestos tiles. The adhesive kept the tiles from cracking.

- I then took my ramset and fired the nails through the bottom plate, through the tile, and into the concrete floor.

It worked great and I didn't have any problems, but check with your local inspector first as different cities might have different opinions.

[Hookmaster]

If it was me I wouldn't disturb it or I would have it professionally removed. My dad died of asbestosis about 40 years after exposure and virtually all his work buddies died of mesothelioma 15-20 years earlier. That makes my dad lucky but still his life was cut short several years. My mom has some asbestos fibers in her lungs from washing his clothes. Yes he was exposed for several years where he worked but it all depends on how your body reacts to the asbestos fibers. Use all the safety measures you can if you do it yourself.

[Darrell Larson]

It is not only the tile you should be concerned with, it is the adhesive that was applied to adhere these tiles down. You can have these tiles/adhesive tested at Twin City Testing, for a nominal fee of course.

[A.W.Wolfram]

Here are a few items relating to asbestos flooring.

Asbestos is a naturally accruing mineral (a double-chain silicate) Actinolite asbestos.

This mineral was mined from the earth and widely used in construction materials until it was discovered that it was bad for us. It is a carcinogen unlike any other. It causes damage mechanically. Other carcinogens do damage chemically or by radiation. The fibers are so small and sharp they can damage DNA. The sharp ends of the fiber are only a few atoms across. The fibers do not break down and can stay in your lungs forever.

Asbestos was used in plaster, concrete, flooring, insulation and many other products.

As far as flooring, asbestos is found in tiles including the classic 8x8 and 9x9 tiles, sheet goods (linoleum) and the mastic used as an adhesive for both products.

Working with suspected asbestos materials.

First off (disclaimer) this work should be done by trained professionals.

Asbestos flooring is not regulated by the state of Minnesota for disposal.

Dust mitigation is one of the most crucial items to address when working with these materials. This can be accomplished most affectively by keeping the product in an unbroken state. Some tricks I have seen have been to use dry ice. Place a block of dry ice on a tile and allow it to sit for 30 seconds or so. Then move the block to the next tile and use a chisel to pop the tile up. The dry ice freezes the tile and mastic and usually pops off the floor in one piece. This is time consuming but tends to remove most of the material in one shot including the mastic.

Using water on the floor that has been stated before is also an option.

Respiratory and eye protection is a must.

If there is asbestos in your flooring there is a good chance it is in other materials as well.

[nofishfisherman]

Thanks for all the info. I am for sure going to leave it all alone from here on out. The basement remodel I am doing is rather small. I'm just going to replace the paneling with drywall and put carpet down over the tiles. There is one remaining area that has linoleum that I was going to replace with newer linoleum but I'm thinking I can probably get away with laying the new stuff right over the old stuff since it is still stuck down very securely. Its also a pretty small area that is not seen very much.

Also the new wall I was going to put in will be right over the linoleum so I may opt to leave the linoleum and secure the new wall to the concrete floor through the linoleum and through the asbestos tile. The linoleum and linoleum adhesive should help hold the asbestos tile together and also trap any fibers and keep them from going airborne.

If I would have known the tiles were broken under the linoleum I did pull up I would have left it all alone. But by the time I realized they were broken I figured the damage was already done. In the end there were only maybe 10 tiles total that I removed. It was maybe a 1/4 of a regular garbage bag full. Hopefully there was no harm done. Even if I have 30 years until I see the effects that still only gets me to 59, still plenty of fish to catch in my 60's.

[hanson]

Bottom line with asbestos is it is not harmful until it becomes disturbed and then airborne.

Your talking about 9x9 tile, the stuff is all over the place. St Louis Park school district in the Cities just shut their schools down last week (maybe 2 weeks ago) because they found damaged tile in the nurse's office of all places. I think a lot of people and parents were shocked to find out asbestos is still found in places they send their kids to every day.

Pipe insulation and floor tile are very, very common locations where asbestos is found.

[delcecchi]

Asbestos was also widely found in Northeast Minneapolis due to widespread use of waste from some company (Western Mineral Products) that made vermiculite insulation. It was stuff people used for landscaping as I recall

[pureinsanity]

its also in most plasters too. most people don't realize that.

[A.W.Wolfram]

Vermiculite is another mineral that is mined. There were 3 primary mines that it came from. Asbestos naturally occurs in this mineral. The deposits of vermiculite differ in there concentration of asbestos. Each mine had differing amounts from 3% to 10% if I recall correctly.

Vermiculite was used extensively for attic and wall insulation. If your house was built around and before 1970 there is a large chance this is in your walls and attic. If you have cellulose or fiberglass it could have been blown over the vermiculite. Vermiculite was usually applied in a 6” depth in attics. If you dig down you could find it. I have cellulose over vermiculite in my house.

[Hookmaster]

Western Mineral is where my dad worked. The whole plant was dusty. The first thing he did when he got home was go in the basement and take off his clothes so my mom could wash them. He brought vermiculite home to insulate the upstairs walls, irrigate the soil for the tomatoes and line the charcoal grill as an absorbant. I used to play with the stuff. I was checked 4-5 years ago as part of a national second hand asbestos exposure study and everything was OK. Let's hope it stays that way. I was exposed to it in the early to mid 1960s.

[delcecchi]

As I recall the vermiculite (mica) came from Montana and was naturally mixed with asbestos. The whole neighborhood around the plant got massively contaminated.