Asbestos- How to tell? - DoItYourself.com Community Forums
Asbestos in vinyl sheet flooring - my dumbass removed it without realizing there was asbestos in it.
Do we think this vinyl was full of asbestos?
Help; Asbestos in vinyl flooring confirmed.
How can I identify and remove asbestos in linoleum flooring?
It’s hard to tell from appearance alone whether your linoleum contains asbestos. If your flooring was installed before the mid-1980s, it’s safest to test it for asbestos before doing any renovations. If it does contain asbestos, you should call a professional asbestos removal contractor. They’ll have the equipment and expertise needed to remove it safely.
What are the dangers of asbestos in linoleum flooring?
Linoleum and vinyl flooring made with asbestos releases microscopic fibers into the air when it’s disturbed or damaged. Exposure primarily occurred during the installation of these materials. Today, it more commonly happens during renovations, because sanding, drilling, cutting and ripping up asbestos linoleum and vinyl can all release these fibers. When inhaled, the fibers become permanently embedded in the lungs and can cause dangerous diseases decades later, including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.
Which vinyl products may contain asbestos?
Vinyl building materials made before 1980 may contain asbestos. This includes vinyl floor tiles, sheet flooring and wallpaper. It’s an affordable, easily obtained material and is still popular in homes today. While American companies no longer make vinyl products with asbestos, it could still be imported from other countries.
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Firstly, I apologize for this being so long, I completely understand if no one reads it. Secondly, I've found posts about similar situations but couldn't find exact answers to my questions. Thirdly, this weekend I was an idiot. I was removing ceramic tile and hardiebacker from my 30 square foot bathroom in order to put new ceramic tile down.
After I got through the hardiebacker I found vinyl sheet flooring presumably original to the house which was built in 1973. For some reason (maybe that I'm a dumbass neophyte in dealing with flooring) asbestos didn't cross my mind. The vinyl flooring was missing in some sections, though in generally good shape. From looking online I found my new tile would sit better if I removed the vinyl due to the missing pieces creating an uneven surface (looking back I should have just left it undisturbed and hardiebacked and tiled over it).
So I did remove it, I used a scraper and a hammer and peeled it up, though it tore into pieces typically about 5 square-inches in size. Most of the backing remains glued down to my plywood subfloor. I don't think I created much dust, if any, but it's hard for me to tell exactly because I hadn't totally cleaned up the mess from the hardiebacker. In the end the two messes got mixed together and I couldn't judge if any of the dust/mess was from the vinyl when it was all mixed in with the hardiebacker dust and crumbs.
Regretfully after vacuuming, sweeping and cleaning up I finally came across the fact that I was probably dealing with asbestos the whole time. I've since found that the backing is probably where most of the asbestos is. I freaked out. I've mopped up and wiped everything down with wet cloth. I'm planning on getting a HEPA filter for my vacuums today and vacuuming the house.
I've basically got 4 questions.
how can I clean up better and hopefully mitigate asbestos floating around my house?
Do I, correctly this time, remove the rest of the backing before I lay the new backer and tile? Or should I just lay the backer down onto the backing and not risk disturbing it anymore? I should mention there's still about 1 square foot left of the vinyl flooring underneath the base of my toilet which I believe I've still got to remove to put the new floor in.
if anyone has any experience/expertise what are the chances that the flooring and backing didn't have asbestos in them? I have pictures if anyone wants to see them to help. The vinyl is made by Armstrong and is a white-ish faux-brick pattern, the backer looks and feels like white paper and the glue looks basically like what basic tan-colored wood glue looks like when it dries.
what can I do to decontaminate my vacuums?
I appreciate any help anyone can provide, and thanks for bearing with me for that novel I just wrote!