How do you report Asbestos Floor Tile ?

[Bob Elliott]

Did a Condo last night built in the fifties and pulled up a piece of the carpet to see what is most likely Asbestos tile under neath.
In the common area garbage chute room I found the same.

When you find this stuff (yeah yeah test it) do you report it and what do you recommend ?as I see two thoughts.

One is to leave it be

Two is that if you leave it be it is pulling particulates into the air every time you vacuum.

What say you ?

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Originally Posted by belliott

Did a Condo last night built in the fifties and pulled up a piece of the carpet to see what is most likely Asbestos tile under neath.
In the common area garbage chute room I found the same.

When you find this stuff (yeah yeah test it) do you report it and what do you recommend ?as I see two thoughts.

One is to leave it be

Two is that if you leave it be it is pulling particulates into the air every time you vacuum.

What say you ?

Bob, the next best thing to Professional removal, is to encapsulate it.
Vinyl asbestos tile is harmless because it is a non-friable material unless cut, chipped, and/or sawed with abrasive wheels.

Installed a few in my younger years.

Here are a few pics.





Example of "intact" floor tile removal using simple handtool. The floor tile was subjected to high-temperature heat energy using specialized equipment designed for "intact" asbestos (& non-asbestos) floor tile removal. Covering a few square feet at a time, the high-voltage electronic machine heats the tile and associated mastic in the range of 600-700 degrees F within minutes. As shown, the intended effect is loss of adhesion from the mastic and the tiles can then be carefully lifted individually from place with little-to-no-breakage.

When performed correctly, the method's concept allows asbestos floor tile to be abated in an intact manner without breaking; thereby significantly reducing the subsequent likelihood of potential airborne asbestos fiber release that may result from broken tile matrix such from conducting the usual physically destructive or mechanical removal methods.

Further, when the so-called "non-friable" miscellaneous floor tile are in good condition and removed in an intact manner, set-up of floor tile abatement work area engineering controls may be relaxed in a way that meets minimal regulatory requirements, such as not mandating the use of HEPA air filtration devices within a negative-pressure enclosure, etc.

Unfortunately, this method of floor tile removal is not without its own issues. It is generally much slower than typical abatement methods and is subject to the elevated probability of other unintended problems related to using high-temp heat sources, such as possibly melting or burning the tiles and risk of creating potential undesirable odors from vapors sometimes caused by user error.

[ldapkus]

I tell the client I did asbestos abatement for 20 years and I think it may be ACM but only a lab can verify.

[Bob Elliott]

Originally Posted by ldapkus

I tell the client I did asbestos abatement for 20 years and I think it may be ACM but only a lab can verify.

You wimp
20 years and that is your whole advise?

[Bob Elliott]

Originally Posted by mcyr

Bob, the next best thing to Professional removal, is to encapsulate it.
Vinyl asbestos tile is harmless because it is a non-friable material unless cut, chipped, and/or sawed with abrasive wheels.

Installed a few in my younger years.

Here are a few pics.





Example of "intact" floor tile removal using simple handtool. The floor tile was subjected to high-temperature heat energy using specialized equipment designed for "intact" asbestos (& non-asbestos) floor tile removal. Covering a few square feet at a time, the high-voltage electronic machine heats the tile and associated mastic in the range of 600-700 degrees F within minutes. As shown, the intended effect is loss of adhesion from the mastic and the tiles can then be carefully lifted individually from place with little-to-no-breakage.

When performed correctly, the method's concept allows asbestos floor tile to be abated in an intact manner without breaking; thereby significantly reducing the subsequent likelihood of potential airborne asbestos fiber release that may result from broken tile matrix such from conducting the usual physically destructive or mechanical removal methods.

Further, when the so-called "non-friable" miscellaneous floor tile are in good condition and removed in an intact manner, set-up of floor tile abatement work area engineering controls may be relaxed in a way that meets minimal regulatory requirements, such as not mandating the use of HEPA air filtration devices within a negative-pressure enclosure, etc.

Unfortunately, this method of floor tile removal is not without its own issues. It is generally much slower than typical abatement methods and is subject to the elevated probability of other unintended problems related to using high-temp heat sources, such as possibly melting or burning the tiles and risk of creating potential undesirable odors from vapors sometimes caused by user error.

Since it is covered by carpet , how do I know it is not broken underneath?

See my point Marcel.

Great link but I saw all of them , including the Minnesota study.

The common area garbage chute room also has this stuff.

[Marcel R. Cyr]

[ldapkus]

Originally Posted by belliott

You wimp
20 years and that is your whole advise?

OK Bob. If you're gonna remove it, use a high speed grinder and be sure you wear eye protection!!

[Marcel R. Cyr]

That should work Linus.

[Bob Elliott]

Originally Posted by ldapkus

OK Bob. If you're gonna remove it, use a high speed grinder and be sure you wear eye protection!!

OK
Please send a doc with your signature so i can pass on that advise.

Seriously is there a concern that it is broken underneath and vacuuming will stir it up?

[Marcel R. Cyr]

1. Take a closer look at any tiles that are black, dark brown, dark gray or gray brown. Both asphalt and vinyl tiles in these colors may have asbestos fibers mixed in. Asphalt tiles will have the highest concentration of asbestos. Because asphalt was the main ingredient in these tiles, they were only manufactured in dark colors.
   
   Determine the age of the flooring. Asbestos was a very popular ingredient in floor tiles between 1920 and about 1960. Daniel Rosato, in his book, "Asbestos: Its Industrial Uses," reports that by 1940, as much as 5 percent of all floor tiling contained asbestos, increasing to 12 percent by 1946 due to wartime shortages of other materials. Asbestos was also used in manufacturing older vinyl flooring. This flooring usually came in nine-inch square tiles and is thicker than modern vinyl flooring.
   
   According to professional building inspector Daniel Friedman, older asphalt floor tiles and older vinyl tiles, as well as some older 12-inch vinyl tiles and sheet linoleum, likely contain asbestos. The mastic used to adhere these older tiles also may contain asbestos. If your house was built between 1920 and 1960 and the floor is original, it likely contains some asbestos.
2. Step 3
   Send a sample of any suspect tiles to a testing laboratory. An accredited laboratory will confirm the presence of asbestos in your sample. Check with the lab to find out its requirements, but usually the lab will want three separate samples that measure at least ¾ inches square. Cut the sample out of the tile with a utility knife. Wear a mask as you do so and seal the samples in a resealable plastic bag. Cover the area from which you removed the sample with a piece of duct tape.
3. http://www.ehow.com/how_5531388_iden...paign=yssp_art

[Bob Elliott]

Marcel that is a great cut and paste but i am asking a real question.
What is your opinion if you have one?

Sorry to be abrupt, but I have Google to.

[Bob Elliott]

I am working on the report now but need to finish while visiting someone at the hospital.
Thanks for the attempted response, but I will go with Factoids and the advice I do not know or have an exact answer on the possible risks.

I can view response on my Blackberry.

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Originally Posted by belliott

Since it is covered by carpet , how do I know it is not broken underneath?

See my point Marcel.

Great link but I saw all of them , including the Minnesota study.

The common area garbage chute room also has this stuff.

Bob, if it is carpeted over, the chances of having the tiles broken are limited to areas where the carpet tack strips were nailed down.
When the carpet tack strips are removed with a flat bar, the loose pieces should be picked up one little piece at a time and inserted in a double bag.
The rest of the tile can remain if intact and the areas that have missing pieces can be patched with a floor patch material and then the new floor can be installed.
Note; if a new carpet is being installed, no need to remove the tact strip.

I installed quite a few thousand s.f. of that material and if it were that dangerous, I would not be here. ha. ha.
The key is to not make dust and get air-borne particles.

Hope this helps.

[Bob Elliott]

Thank you Marcel
That is what I wanted to hear.

I value your opinion over web cutouts.

[Christopher Currins]

This is what I wrote last Sat. for suspected asbestos. It wasn't floor tiles.

A material suspected to contain asbestos fibers has been used to insulate the pipes of the hydronic heat boiler. Asbestos containing materials (ACM) are considered hazardous when they are friable. Friable simply means that the material is fragile and can release asbestos fibers into the air. Asbestos is extremely common in the air and soil around us, and has been used for decades in approximately 3,000 commonly found household products or building materials. How much danger this may pose to the client is unknown. If this is a concern, I recommend having the air in the home sampled by a licensed/certified asbestos remediation specialist, who can best determine whether any friable particulates are present and whether there is a need to encapsulate this material or remove it altogether.