Do you know that it was linoleum? True linoleum does not contain asbestos. It could have been attached to the floor with asbestos-containing adhesive, but this would only be an issue if he sanded all the way through. On the other hand, seamless flooring often did contain asbestos, particularly in a backing layer under the surface, as well as in the adhesive. Here is a helpful reference on linoleum-type flooring and asbestos: https://inspectapedia.com/interiors/Linoleum_Flooring.php#LinoAsb If the tests come back positive, the room needs to be cleaned by an asbestos remediation team that will suit up, erect containment, use positive pressure ventilation, employ HEPA vacuums and other techniques to clean up the dust, and possibly apply an encapsulant to lock down any remaining fibers. You don't need to throw out the items in the room if they are properly cleaned this way, but it could be expensive. As far as contamination and health issues, it's good he wore a dust mask, but was it a true respirator with asbestos filter canisters, or something less sophisticated? What happened with his dusty clothes? Was the room sealed off or could dust have drifted throughout the other rooms through cracks under doors and through the ductwork in the house? No one can say what his exposure was, if any, and whether it will result in a health issue decades hence. No medical test at this point would reveal anything even if there was a significant exposure. We are all exposed to asbestos at minute, but detectable, levels every day, because there are asbestos fibers from various sources that float around in the air at a "background level." I don't think most people contract asbestos-related illnesses from just one significant exposure, but it's always wise to avoid it. Wait for the test results. The bottom line is that you can't undo an exposure -- if it occurred -- and, even if asbestos was released, you can't really figure out what that exposure was since he was wearing some kind of protection. If the test comes back negative, you've learned an important lesson. If it comes back positive, you need to determine if more than one room is involved and get any contamination cleaned up properly and professionally. If done wrong -- like vacuuming yourself with a standard household vacuum -- it will make things worse. P.S.: For the future, it's always better to start your own thread with a new issue like this than piggyback on a related, but somewhat different issue.

The discussions on this subject are voluminous in these forums. A simple google search for asbestos containing linoleum or tile will lead you to "cutback" adhesive. Here is the story; An interesting discussion, linoleum, and possibly cut-back adhesive. This product, as with all products containing asbestos as the binding agent only atain a "hazardos" status when they become "friable", iE airborne. Since there was a lack of consistency, state to state, for the remediation of these products, encapsulation became the method of choice and so, many have been simply covered over with "safe" products, such as Hardie-backer. The simple test that determines whether or not cut-back adhesive is present is to spill boiling water on an exposed area. If the water puddles, you have cut-back adhesive, if the adhesive melts, you do not. The solution in the removal process is to keep the area moistened which will serve to prevent the binder from becoming friable. There are also several products which work quite well for adhesive removal.

> If you choose to remove asbestos yourself, you take on the legal liability... As I see it, this is bad policy. It wouldn't surprise me if the legislation was written in consultation with (or even by) an asbestos abatement contractor -- who of course wants the business. They think they're urging you to use a contractor, but they're wrong. All this does is prompt DIYers to quietly bag their hazardous waste, unlabeled, and put it in the trash. What they should say instead is something like this: "If you choose to remove asbestos yourself, see our removal guidelines at [link]. "Double-bag the waste, using heavy duty trash bags of at least 2 mil thickness. Suitable bags are available for sale at City Hall, 789 Main Street. Label the bags clearly, describing the contents. "You can dispose of the waste for free at our homeowner's hazardous waste collection site, 12345 Bedrock Road. It's open Monday through Friday, 1 pm to 7 pm. Please note that this site is strictly for homeowners disposing of limited quantities of asbestos, heavy metals, leftover paint, pesticides, household and automotive chemicals, and other potentially hazardous materials. It's not for commercial use, and please don't dispose of your non-hazardous waste there."

How old is the house? The older types of mastic were called black mastic because they used asphalt based cement and they added asbestos to it, if that's the case they should have removed that also, they have special chemicals and you need good ventilation when using them. As being sticky, I never ran across this material, so I wouldn't know if it remains sticky or not after the tile is removed... I vaguely remember a little bit about it because when I was taking the building inspectors course ages back I did some reading on it, but that's about it, I'm sure you can find some updated information online, try to google "black mastic" and see what comes up. Good luck