What To Do If You Find Asbestos Under Your Tile

Asbestos was a common material in the homebuilding industry in North America right up until the latter part of the 20th century. Prized for its fire resistance, lack of electrical conductivity, and chemical reactivity, it was a component of many products, including insulation, roofing felt and, yes, tiles and tile adhesives.

Manufacturers no longer use asbestos in building products (it was banned in 1989), but landscaper/builder Tom Polkinghorne warns that it could be present in any house built before 1990, and specifically in floor tiles. Here’s what that means to you as a homeowner.

What Is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a class of fibrous silicate minerals that occur naturally in metamorphic rock in mountainous regions of North America, Russia, China, Brazil, and several other countries. The size and characteristics of the fibers vary, but all types of asbestos have similar fire- and corrosion-resistant properties, and they are all health hazards.

What does asbestos look like?

This depends on the type. Two classes of asbestos: Serpentine and Amphibole. Within them are six distinct varieties.

The Serpentine class includes a single variety: Chrysotile, or white asbestos. This is the most common type overall, accounting for about 95 percent of industrial use. It features long, curly hair-like fibers that can be woven into fabric, used as insulation or incorporated into building materials. It looks like cotton.

The Amphibole class includes five varieties: crocidolite, tremolite, amosite, anthophyllite and actinolite. The color can be brown, blue or off-white, and all feature needle-like fibers that form a clumpy, fuzzy mass. In the past, manufacturers commonly added one or more of these varieties to paint, cement, drywall, tiles and other building materials.

• Did You Know? During the early 1950s, before the dangers of inhaling asbestos were widely understood, crocidolite, the most dangerous type of asbestos, was an ingredient in Kent Micronite cigarette filters.

Why Is Asbestos Dangerous?

When asbestos fibers become airborne and are inhaled, they lodge in the lungs. Because they don’t deteriorate, they accumulate and cause progressive irritation that can develop into inflammation, scarring and serious diseases like lung, laryngeal and ovarian cancer, and mesothelioma. The Mesothelioma Center reports that 6,000 people die every year due to asbestos-related lung cancer.

Is asbestos still used?

The FDA enacted a total ban on asbestos products in 1989, but the ban was overturned by the federal courts. However, a prohibition against new uses of asbestos in building materials survived the court challenge, so since that time, no building materials sold in the U.S., including floor tiles, felt paper and adhesives, contain asbestos. The auto industry is the main user of asbestos in the U.S. It’s a common component of brake linings and gaskets.

If you live in a house built after 1989, you probably don’t need to worry about asbestos in your floor tiles. Keep in mind, however, that there is no worldwide ban on asbestos use, so it’s still possible for some imported materials to contain it.

How To Tell If There’s Asbestos Under My Tile

“If your house was built, or last had flooring fitted, before the late 90s, then I’d treat it as suspect,” warns Polkinghorne. “Asbestos could be in the adhesive, the paper backing, leveling compounds or in vinyl floor tiles.”

Nine-by-nine-inch vinyl or asphalt tiles are the ones most likely to contain asbestos, especially if they were installed before 1989. The black rubber mastic used to hold them to the floor is also suspect.

The only way to know for sure if there’s asbestos in your home is to do a lab test.

Do I Need To Worry If There’s Asbestos Under My Tile?

“If you think there’s a chance that asbestos is in your home, it is absolutely critical that you do not disturb it,” warns injury attorney Stephen M. Wagner. “Asbestos requires professional removal, and trying to do it yourself puts your health at serious risk while creating a major opportunity for your own legal liability, since disturbing it can impact others.”

If you suspect your tiles contain asbestos, and they are in good shape, it’s best to leave them as they are. If you sell the home, most states require you to disclose any environmental hazards, and asbestos-containing tiles would be one of the hazards that you would have to disclose, says Wagner.

Tips for Replacing Tile If There’s Asbestos Under It

Thinking about removing asbestos tiles yourself? Don’t. It’s a job you legally must hire a licensed pro to do. Fortunately, there’s an easier way to deal with them (assuming they aren’t cracking or fraying). Leave them in place and cover them with new flooring. That’s the strategy an abatement pro would most often recommend, says Polkinghorn, because it encapsulates the asbestos and prevents it from becoming airborne.

About the Experts

• Tom Polkinghorne is the director of Creations Building & Landscaping, a UK-based firm that delivers driveways, paving, brickwork and full garden makeovers.
• Stephen M. Wagner is the founder of Wagner Reese, LLP, a firm dedicated to representing injury victims throughout Indiana and nationwide.

The post What To Do If You Find Asbestos Under Your Tile appeared first on Family Handyman.

Article source here: What To Do If You Find Asbestos Under Your Tile