Deal with Asbestos Tile
Asbestos particles can be damaging to your lungs when they are inhaled. The material was used widely before the health risks were known. Many construction materials ― from roofing shingles to floor― tiles were made with asbestos in the 1960s and 1970. Knowing the right way to deal with your asbestos containing tiles is the difference between being safe and healthy or releasing dangerous particles into the air. If the tile is in good shape, you can just cover it up. If it’s in bad shape, you’ll have to remove and dispose of it..
Contents
Steps
Leaving the Tile in Place
- Look for signs of damage. If an asbestos containing tile is undamaged, you should leave it intact. The fibers are considered non-friable as long as the piece is intact, but if the piece is damaged the fibers could become airborne. You should only remove the asbestos tile if it is damaged. To identify damage, look for:
- Broken corners or pieces
- Frayed edges
- Deep cuts or scratches
- Avoid busting up the tile. If you find that there is no sign of damage, then you should leave the tile as is. Busting it up to remove it will only cause asbestos fibers to be released into the environment. If left alone, they will remain within the tile.
- Cover the tile with another layer. If you cover the asbestos tile with another layer of floor, you can protect the tile. This means that you will greatly reduce the risk of asbestos fibers getting into the air. The added bonus is that you save time and money by leaving your original floor intact.
Removing Asbestos Tile
- Wet the tile. If you do have to remove the asbestos tile, you should first wet the floor. The asbestos fibers will get trapped in the water, and this will help to keep them out of the air. Keep the area you are working on as wet as possible.
- You should wear a mask when removing tile that contains asbestos.
- Start at the edge. Move to the edge of the floor and choose a tile to remove. Chisel away any grout, mortar, etc., with a hammer and chisel. This should free the tile from other tiles.
- Remove tiles intact. The best way to avoid asbestos fibers filling the air is to do as little damage as possible to each tile. Use the hammer and chisel to pry the tile up from the bottom. Try not to break the tile as you lift it away from the floor.
- Dissolve any remaining adhesive. The adhesive that binds the tile to the floor may also contain asbestos. For this reason, you should not grind or sand away the adhesive. Instead, use soap and water, or an organic solvent like lacquer thinner, to dissolve the adhesive.
- Throw away or wash the clothes you were wearing immediately. They are now covered in asbestos fibers.
Disposing of the Tile
- Place all materials in a trash bag. Asbestos cannot move through a plastic trash bag. Place all debris into a bag (you may need several). Avoid overfilling the bags. You do not want any tears in the bags.
- Seal the bag. Once a bag is full, you want to seal off the top so that no asbestos can escape. Use duct tape to make sure that the top stays closed and has no openings. If you tear the bag, patch it with duct tape or double bag it.
- Wipe down the bags. Some asbestos probably got on the outside of the bags. Wipe them down with soap and water to remove the asbestos. This will prevent you from inhaling the asbestos while you transport the bags.
- Move the waste to a landfill. Call local landfills until you find one that accepts asbestos. Then you can either drive the asbestos to the landfill, or pay a waste collector to take it for you. Keep in mind that not all landfills accept asbestos.
Warnings
- Asbestos is hazardous to your health. Wear a mask during the removal process.
- Wash or dispose of any materials used to remove asbestos. This includes your clothes.
