Asbestos in home after remodeling

16 years ago

I recently had an area of the house remodeled and the contractor removed floor tiles (from approx. 1965-1970) before relaying a new floor. There was dust everywhere (I was exposed to it when doing work nearby) and now I am concerned they may have contained asbestos. They were stuck (with a brown glue-like substance) on a solid concrete floor.

My question is, assuming they contained asbestos, what risk is my family at today from asbestos filtering around the house through the air con/heating system. I can't do anything about previous exposure, but I need to minimize future exposure in my home.

Also, any advice regarding cleaning up the house and minimizing risk?

I know the risks of one-time exposure are relatively low, but am concerned the house may need thorough cleaning. Please help!

Thanks!

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Comments (6)

glennsfc
16 years ago
Sounds to me like they were probably asphalt asbestos tile. Were they 9" X 9"?

Other than wiping every horizontal surface down with moistened cloths to capture and remove residual dust and thorougly cleaning the air ducts, I can't think of anything else you can do. I would get rid of wall to wall carpet, as you'd never be able to totally remove residual dust from that (my opinion only).

You could call in an environmental company to do air testing and test for surface dust before and after cleaning, if that would put your mind at ease. And remember this sobering fact...there is always a background level of asbestos per litre of air; more so in certain locations.

Give up smoking, if you are a smoker, and you should be just fine.
larryinseattle
16 years ago
A reputable contractor would have had suspicious tiles tested before removing them. Ask him.
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conger
Original Author
16 years ago
Unfortunately reputable was not a word I would use...hindsight is such a wonderful thing. They have now "disappeared"!
The tile was 12"x12" and simply stuck down onto concrete with what looked like a brown glue (no black mastic or other material). The contractor covered the brown glue with a new floor (it was pretty flat when covered so should be okay) - but is any "asbestos residue" perhaps in the glue likely to seep through?
We've gone through the house and cleaned most surfaces with a damp cloth, we have no carpets (wooden floors throughout) and do not smoke...so I suppose a one-time exposure like this is likely to be okay...I hope!
And I suppose if there are a few extra fibers in the air, they will eventually filter out and be cleared from the house.
Any guidance/advice is greatfully received. We have been worrying continually for days after reading comments on various forums, etc. If only we had the tiles covered and not removed.
James
lyfia
16 years ago
I thought the asbestos would be in the flooring iteslf and not the glue, but maybe it is both.
boxers
16 years ago
the asbestos is encapulated in the tile itself. If there was no sanding the asbestos would still be in the tile. If he scraped them up and disposed of, then you have little to worry about. If he sanded or somehow disturbed the composition of the tile I would be slightly more concerned.
glennsfc
16 years ago
There is always some dust created when VCT is removed by any means that crushes or pulverizes the material. I used to remove the stuff that way, until I left the business for that reason as well as a few others.

It sounds to me that the wrong glue was used to adhere the tile to the concrete. A 'brown' glue points to either an organic linoleum paste or an adhesive for rubber tile that had alcohol as the solvent. It is doubtful either contained asbestos (but I don't know that for sure).

Asbestos is not going to seep up from the glue and become airborne.

Asbestos in home after remodeling

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Asbestos in home after remodeling

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