Could anybody help with some urgent advice? My husband tried to lift some lino kitchen tiles on a house we are renovating today, and there was bright blue fibrous mat/adhesive stuff underneath that was near impossible to remove. I asked him not to try sanding it off because I remember reading somewhere (here?) about a couple who tried to remove similar sounding stuff, only to find out it was blue asbestos. Can anybody advise whether this is likely to be the case, or if not, what it might be and how to remove it, or even how to go about identifying it/getting it tested? We really want to remove the lino tiles and sand and polish the floors, but don't know what to do know. The tiler we had in scoffed at the idea of it being asbestos, but of course we don't want to take even a tiny chance. The house is a 1950's cottage with asbestos lining in the kitchen and bathroom (that we've villa-boarded over and had tiled.)
Thank you so much for any input.Morgan, generally you will find that old lino tiles used asbestos (white or brown) as a cheap filler in the tile base. They are fibres. So you probably will not find it in the glue or underlay below the tiles it is inside the tiles themselves – so wear appropriate PPE when removing the tiles and do not break them up as they will release their fibres. If need be, you can send a piece to a testing laboratory to confirm whether the tiles or the underlay contain the nasties.
hi Morgan
yes there was a similar post a few years ago here in which I broke the bad news.
blue asbestos is the worst kind, and its most common use was under tiles / lino.
dont take any chances. the best way to stop fibres getting into the air is to thoroughly WET the suspect material. try to get a sample. if you see fibres in it, get it tested. some fibre-cement is also blue so it depends how old the stuff is.
This query applies to me as well.
I recently removed lino flooring. Pretty sure I didn't see any asbestos or fibres. My kitchen was built in 63.
My query is in general to asbestos.
1) For removal if it is disturbed what would be recommendations, i.e. how can it be contained and decontaminated.
2) Is there a form of testing a person can take to check if they have been exposed and inhaling asbestos etc.Cheers,
miike1) Spray with PVA, seal the area to be worked in with plastic over doors/windows, wear dust suit and a 2 cartridge breathing filter
2) No test that you can do yourselfi had an old house, which had old lino squares that had been glued to the floor – i was told that in the past asbestos felt was used underneath the lino tiles – i wouldn't want to take a risk with your health – i ended up laying new lino over the old lino tiles & it looked fine
Miike, You will know if you contract an asbestos disease in 15 years when it becomes terminal.
I.P.F. , you should know better than to tell someone that it "probably isn't asbestos", c'mon mate?
The fact is that all it takes is a couple of fibres in your lungs to contract the disease.
Similar diseases will probably soon appear for fibreglass insulation products.
If it is tested and is asbestos, then you have two "safe" options.
1. Don't disturb it in any way.
2. Contract a professional to remove it.
Although there is a lot of people who have had high exposure and are never affected, there are many stories of people with one off exposures that have died.
Asbestos is serious,
Minimum P.P.E. includes full body suits with asbestos rated respirators(not dust masks kids). Sealed Plastic Work Areas and exit showers in an air lock.
Anything else is a risk that you have decided to take.
lifeX wrote:Similar diseases will probably soon appear for fibreglass insulation products.
LifeX – fibreglass and asbestos are two completely different types of fibre, fg is a man-made fibre (glass), breaks across its length ie gets shorter and the size of the fibre is much greater than asbestos and breaks down/gets absorbed into the body within a relatively short period. Whereas asbestos breaks along its length and gets thinner each time it breaks, does not break down within the body hence its propensity to exist in the body for a long time.
As for requiring sealed work areas and showers, I do not believe this is the case either as this is generally classed as 'bonded asbestos' however the other precautions (proper mask & disposable dust suit) are required.
S.N.M.
They used to say asbestos was totally safe in the day too, until people started dying.
Ever watched the good asbestos teams remove the stuff, they don't stuff around.
My point was not about Minimum government requirements, which mean jack squat.
it was the control measures you need to take to safely work with asbestos.
For instance if you need a dust mask to work with the stuff, why wouldn't anyone who comes into the area after you not need the same level of protection. My opinion is that you are creating a hazard, and you should capture and remove the hazard.
If you don't enclose the area, then how do you stop disturbed fibres contaminating that area and nearby areas??If anyone insists on exposing themselves and other innocent people to asbestos, I can't stop you.
Not being critical of your comments lifex, however I too have been involved in numerous commercial decontaminations. There is some logic which does apply (occasionally) eg external work removing ac sheet and of course removal of lino tiles. The construction of a negative pressure chamber is not feasible for removal of small quanitites or for bonded asbestos unless it is a large area eg commercial floor.
There is plenty of asbestos still in the air (still measured in ppm) if you look for older brake linings on the roadside, in topsoil and in the dust inside old roofs.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic. If you don't have an account, you can register here.
