Linoleum Flooring Asbestos

Many tile contractors will not even consider the removal of the tile.

Linoleum flooring asbestos. Old asbestos tiles can make a home appear dated. Tiles are safer to remove than the sheeting because the asbestos is held together by the vinyl which is not hazardous. Water has caused the flooring to shrink and curl away from the tub edge exposing about 1 2 inch of brown fibers and mold as well. Asbestos was used in vinyl wallpaper from the 1920s and in the vinyl floor tiles and sheet flooring that rose to prominence in the 1950s.

Rosato engineering consultant newton ma reinhold publishing 1959 library of congress catalog card no. When you breathe in microscopic asbestos fibers they can get stuck in your body forever. The flooring is in a rental apartment which was built in the early 1960 s. Asbestos vinyl flooring was a durable and economical material that offered many aesthetic options to suit a homeowner s taste.

This is why asbestos was a popular additive in vinyl flooring products for much of the 20th century. Click here to read more. Vinyl asbestos tiles should not be sanded and the glue that holds the tiles to the floor should not be sanded either. As with any asbestos containing material acm the first step to finding asbestos in linoleum sheet flooring and vinyl tiles is.

Asbestos products and their history and use in various building materials such as asphalt and vinyl flooring includes discussion which draws on asbestos its industrial applications rosato 1959 d v. Asbestos vinyl sheet flooring should only be removed by a licensed abatement professional. Unfortunately inhaling asbestos dust can lead to several serious diseases. It can cause lung cancer mesothelioma cancer of the larynx and ovaries and a health condition called asbestosis caused by fibrosis of the lungs.

Removing it is often not an option since the adhesive and dust are considered hazardous waste and must be disposed of by a hazardous waste team. Vinyl asbestos flooring comes in two types tiles and sheeting. Vinyl flooring and wallpaper that contain asbestos cannot be recognized on sight. Asbestos floor tiles will not release toxic fibers and pose a health risk unless they are disturbed.

It is always safer to assume material manufactured before 1980 contains asbestos. I am concerned because of the exposure of the presumed to contain asbestos vinyl flooring edge due to water leaks under the linoleum.