Floor Tile Asbestos Exposure

If an asbestos ceiling tile is drilled or broken for example it may release fibers into the air.
Floor tile asbestos exposure. Testing found 3 chrysotile asbestos in this floor tile sample. Car brakes and floor tiles insulating board. When vinyl asbestos flooring is crumbling or damaged it is considered friable. But when vinyl asbestos flooring is in good condition it is considered nonfriable.
The properties of asbestos made it an ideal material for use in a number of products including insulation material for buildings boilers and pipes. Many homes schools and other buildings built before the 1970s have materials such as pipes and floor tiles. Will not release asbestos fibers unless they are disturbed or damaged in some way. When these mineral fibers are released into the air and breathed in over long periods of time they can cause lung disease.
Sbestos was once considered a miracle material used in everything from paint and pipe insulation to even tiling. At above left is a 12 x 12 vinyl asbestos floor tile found in a home built in 1969. Vinyl sheet flooring comes in large pieces and is usually cut to the size of the room and laid down in one piece. Asbestos is found naturally in rock and soil.
The definitive way to find out if tiles contain asbestos is to have them tested. Asbestos has also been used in a wide range of manufactured goods mostly in building materials roofing shingles ceiling and floor tiles paper products and asbestos cement products friction products automobile clutch brake and transmission parts heat resistant fabrics packaging gaskets and coatings. See armstrong floor tile list 1969. Asbestos vinyl sheet flooring poses a significantly greater asbestos exposure risk than floor tiles or wallpaper.
Reducing exposure to asbestos is the best prevention against asbestosis. In the united states federal law requires employers in industries that work with asbestos products such as construction to take special safety measures. Asbestos floor tile identification photos 1949 1959. Webmd explains how you can.
That means it is safe to walk on but not safe to scrape sand or use power tools on. Identifying asbestos floor tiles. Asbestos containing ceiling tiles floor tiles undamaged laboratory cabinet tops shingles fire doors siding shingles etc. You can either engage an asbestos remediation expert or obtain a test kit for.
Manufacturers often made this type of flooring with a friable asbestos backing which means mineral fibers are easily. In this case it needs to be removed very carefully to avoid asbestos exposure.