Good news is there will be little danger as long as you are carful to clean up after drilling. Bad news is you opened a can of worms when you chose to have it tested without being prepared to remove it. Without removeing it,there are no legal options to disclousure when selling.

HandyMac - do I need to inform the company doing the beam installation that it tested positive for asbestos, or is that something they take would precautions about if I hadn't tested it?

Annie,even if you don't see the legal responsibility,surely you realize the moral obligation to tell them. Did I mention possible cans of worms ariseing from testing?

I would inform them, but they should have enough experience to know about gotcha's like that. If it were me doing the drilling, I'd simply use water to neutralize the dust until concrete is reached. Mop up and drill the concrete.

As far as disclosure when selling, that is strictly a local situation. Were you notified of the tiles when you bought the house? And, tiles/shingles are not a hazard since the components are not friable(easily crushed to powder by human hands).

Regarding asbestos,

Rule #1: Never create a paper trail.

Rule# 2: refer to rule # 1.

Rule #3. Tell absolutly no one unless you intend on telling every one.

LOL

Asbestos tiles or not when drilling concrete inside an occupied home, I used a Rotary Hammer with dust extraction by my HEPA Dust Extraction.

Yes, I see the moral obligation, but didn't know if it was actually an obligation if they assume the worst anyway. I felt it was a moral obligation to get it tested in the first place. I just wasn't thinking ahead about all the headaches it might cause it it tested positive.

They can take up the tiles where they will drill. Also, wet the floor, so the dust will be mud.

I recently had tiles and adhesive removed in my basement by an abatement contractor and based on your description you might be getting overly cautious.

The tile fragments have to be disposed of, but popping off the tile releases almost zero particles into the air. In most cases it is considered to be non-friable asbestos, which makes it easier to control. Removing tile adhesive in small areas is usually controlled by wetting it down and using a chemical to break it up. Then they just scrape it off the floor and dispose of it properly. The problem you are going to have is that the job is so small that most abatement contractors will not even want to come to your house.

The licensed abatement contractor I hired had a minimum charge of about $1300, and the cost went up based on square footage. They wore hazmat suits and put in a positive ventilation fan while they removed the tile and adhesive. It took a crew of 3-4 an entire day to do the job. The final cleaning step used a machine that was like a floor buffer and wet vacuum combined, and when they got done the cement floor was a mottled dirty brown/black color.

I paid about $1600 for removing about 400 square feet of VCT tile and adhesive. I had the option of adding on air testing afterwards, but declined because of the low probability of releasing fiber into the air during tile removal.

I would just inform your beam installation contractor and let them decide what to do. I think they will probably just take normal precautions during drilling (HEPA mask, etc.) to avoid inhaling any dust or powder that is created.

Bruce

What they don't tell you is that the people who get lung disease from asbestos have worked around it for decades. A minuscule exposure is nothing.

One way to deal with drilling into asbestos floor tiles is to put a big glob of shaving foam down over the spot and drill slowly, replenishing the foam as needed. The asbestos is pretty well bound into the vinyl tiles and much of it will remain trapped in the small vinyl fragments; any fibers that do get released will be trapped by the foam. As each hole is finished, do a wet wipe up and bag the cleaning materials.

I'm very cautious around asbestos, but this is a minor problem and you should be able to do this safely. Also, the percent asbestos in the tile and mastic is very low percentage-wise, so this reduces the risk even further. A major tile removal is not necessary.

a) Everybody is right.

b) I would notify the workers. They'd know what to do, and decide which risk to take.

c) We did test, and did create a paper trail. We told everyone as well. We knew we were going to add and remodel; and our percentage of asbestos in materials was higher (sometimes significantly higher) and literally everywhere. We went for professional abatement (and air testing afterwards). Which in our case meant gutting the house. Can't say it was the best decision we ever made. But my conscience is extremely clean. As is my bank account lol .

PS our family member did die of a lung disease caused by asbestos..and true, he was exposed for decades. A month passed between him first going to the doctor and getting the bad x ray result- and his death. He was an extremely strong and fit man. He wasn't that old as well.

Needless to say, it influenced our decision..the relatives were freaking out, and did it quite loudly too.

Was it rational, to get into this whole abatement thing? probably not so much. did it become important nevertheless, personally to us, who witnessed his sudden passing away? you bet.

Its tile. Minimal percentage asbestos and doesn't get airborne easily if kept wet. The tiles most likely pop off whole as well. Now if we were talking felt back vinyl which where the felt is like 90% asbestos that is different. Just remove the tile in the certain areas where the beams go, encapsulate the mastic with epoxy paint and have them use a vac with hepa filter while drilling. They should use the vac anyhow with the concrete dust being made. Are they anchoring steel angles to the floor or are they breaking up the floor and taking the beam through it and back pouring? Either way works.

Asbestos is safe if not disturbed. You will be having work done that is going to make this dangerous material into dust form. This is exactly what you don't want to do with the asbestos tiles. I would contact your local Asbestos and hazardous waste removal company, and have them remove it. the additional money is well spent not to die of cancer 25 years later when you find out it was from asbestos.

Different types of asbestos pose different risks. We've all lived with vinyl asbestos tile at work, school, and home without having an epidemic of asbestos-related disease. In this particular situation, it should be possible to deal with this responsibly, safely, and easily without going for a full bore removal. I'm fully in the camp of being cautious around asbestos-containing materials, but this stuff is very low in asbestos content to start with, and any small fiber release can be contained without going to extreme measures. By all means, consult professionals, but don't assume that you have to do a total removal to accomplish this project. Full removals have the potential for fiber release, too, even when done by professionals.

Here is how the State of MN says to remove it via there website. Click here

I just wouldn't drill or cut into it as that is the exact way to release the asbestos.

As someone with experience in asbestos removal, I can say that vinyl asbestos tiles often become brittle over many years, and can fracture into a lot of pieces when you're trying to remove them. The Minnesota Dept. of Health web site has a lot of good info, but the assumption that one can "work under the edges of the tile and pop it loose" is not correct in some cases, especially where one is dealing with old tiles held tenaciously by black mastic. Old vinyl tiles are not like the "peel and stick varieties. We don't know how old the OP's tiles are, and, even if we did, the approach to such a situation can vary from site to site.

I'm not trying to get in an argument over removal techniques, or say there is only one way to deal with this situation. But I am pointing out that slowly drilling some holes in vinyl tile with an encapsulant capturing stray fibers may be a better approach than thinking you can easily pop up some tiles. This is a case where one could try to remove tiles, end up fracturing them into multiple pieces, scraping at the mastic, and having a mess on your hands. I'm not holding myself out as an expert. I'm counseling the OP to look at a low-tech approach that may result in less risk compared to trying to do a "better" job by removing tiles.

Are you dealing with vinyl tile? I don't remember vinyl being mentioned. I agree that stuff usually ends up as a big mess if attempting to remove.

I must have 99 lives and hepa lungs. I used to get laughed off the jobsites when id ask my boss for some dust masks

Tundra- At least you'll have the last laugh ;-)

Ridiculous, I guess invest in your own if they don't care to breath properly in the future. Jokers for sure.