Old vinyl floor tiles - asbestos risk

hanwellmike

I have just found out that old vinyl floor tiles manufactured before say 1980 usually contain asbestos ! Unfortunately I found out just after I had removed them from my small bathroom.

This has put quite a scare into me but I can't undo what has been done. I did not take any safety precautions as I was unaware of the risk. Fortunately it is a very small bathroom and most of the tiles came away complete.

I am going to get the tiles tested by a local contractor to confirm the problem before I continue with laying the new vinyl floor. I think I will have to treat or paint the floor before I continue as there is a residue of old glue on the concrete and apparently this residue can contain asbestos.

Has anyone been thru this process and has any advice to offer. I have to say that I am amazed that this potential danger is not more widely advertised.

Leif

I am not sure you are correct when you say 'usually contain asbestos'. My house was full of ~9" square grey blue tiles from 1969, and they were free of asbestos. In any case, it is an additive, and a low risk form of asbestos, there being various kinds, some of which are very unsafe. Also bear in mind that workers who got asbestosis were working in dust filled environments. So it is probably quite safe to simply lay a new vinyl floor on the old glue, even if it contains asbestos.

muckybutt

Vinyl tiles and lino both used to contain Asbestos, however these products would be classed as non friable - meaning that you would need to grind them into a powder to release any possible fibres that were contained within the tile.

The fibres were used as a binding agent within the tile, the glue residue you speak of wont contain these fibres, you will be perfectly safe laying new tiles on top of glue.

Disposal - place all the tiles in a strong bin / refuse bag, wrap it up - seal it with tape, then place that bag into another bag and again wrap it with tape. Ask your local council where their asbestos skip is - normally at your local tip, take it where they say and they will dispose of it for you.

hanwellmike

Many thanks to Leif and Muckybutt for your advice. You have helped me calm down. I was in a bit of a panic when I realised what I had done.

I am trying to get some professional advice regarding what I need to do to clean up the bathroom. I have hardly been in there since last night in case there is some dust in the air. I plan to put on a disposable suit and a mask and wash everything down. There is no natural ventilation, only a fan.

I am investigating whether I need to paint / seal the floor

In other places on the net and in this forum it has been said that nearly all the 9" x 9" tiles contain asbestos. I will get a piece tested to be sure plus I may well need to advise my neighbours of the possible risk (I live in a small block of identical flats).

muckybutt

No problem.

Next thing to do is calm down ! I can more or less say 99.9999% that there will be no contamination risk to you or any one of your neighbours.

As said these tiles are a very low risk, I deal with them on a regular basis in my job and certainly wouldn't touch them if they were a significant risk to my health and those around me. A lot of hype is always put on acm products and providing you treat it with the respect this stuff deserves its ok to work with and take up / dispose of safely.

I can probably guarantee that the first company you contact will sell you some sort of sealer or decontamination product - because they will be making £'s on the stuff.
Seriously unless you broke the tiles, or ground them up then there is no risk of any of the fibres being released into the bathroom where they were.
If you feel the need to seal the floor then all you need is some pva wood glue and water, put the glue into a bucket and water it down till it becomes a liquid wash, then paint over the area where the tiles / glue were, leave it to dry, surface sealed - its that simple.

If you feel the need to "decontaminate" the bathroom then get a P3 dust mask, disposable overalls and a few throw away dusters or tack cloths and give flat surfaces a wipe down, but really there would be no need to go that far unless there was dust created when you lifted them.

Don't stress out though, there's no need to.

I am UKATA trained btw.

hanwellmike

Thanks again muckybutt. Most of the tiles came up whole but a few did break. I have spoken this morning with a local firm about testing and they were most helpful and re-assuring. I will be getting a test done for peace of mind. Also I would like to have the option to lay ceramic tiles throughout the flat. If the tiles turn out to contain asbestos then I probably would not touch them again.

Regarding the concrete floor which has a lot of residual glue or bitumen, I read somewhere last night on the net that the bitumen could contain asbestos and that is why I wanted to seal it.

Leif

muckybutt wrote: »

Vinyl tiles and lino both used to contain Asbestos,

Not always, only some of them did, and the adhesive did sometimes contain asbestos:

http://www.asbestos.com/products/construction/adhesive.php

Your point about them not being friable (crumbly) is a good one. You can scrape off the thicker areas of glue, damping it down with a water spray to prevent dust.

RaiderHammer

What if they did break? I need to take some up shortly and not sure about them. Some look like they are loose already, some and strongly glued down so I suspect they will break. If there is any breakages what should you do to clean up after? Thanks.

ian103

if they definitely contain asbestos - then employ specialist.

otherwise you can take sensible precautions and remove them yourself (remember the hazards and decide if you won't to do the work yourself) - disposable overalls, gloves, suitable dust mask (ffp3?? check with supplier) and get the area damped down with a mist spray of water. properly bag up (double wrapped and taped) and dispose of the tiles (local tip?)