Dealing with Asbestos Tiles

[Daniel Oren]

I'm flipping a house currently (I'm pretty new to the profession), and I just recently found out that the old floor tiles are almost definitely asbestos tiles. I've already put new floors over all the tiles, except in the bedrooms which I'm bringing Lowes in to install carpeting over these asbestos tiles. 

Before I realized they were asbestos tiles, I removed at least 20 of them. I also have the fan blowing in the house all the tiles, so with 20+ tiles being removed, and the fan blowing, I'm assuming I've gotten the asbestos airborne. 

What should I do at this point? Is it okay to enter the house to continue other work if I wear one of those expensive $40 ventilation masks? Most of the work I've done in the house, I've used the ventilation mask for. Now I'm worried and don't want to even go back in the house at all. Am I being too paranoid? Or am I right to not enter the house, even with the ventilation mask? Thanks in advance. 

Dan

[Karl B.]

Hi, Dan. Here's what my research found: 

"Asbestos is dangerous when it breaks into small fibers and becomes airborne. Asbestos fibers are very light. Because they are so light and because of their shape they can float in the air for long periods of time. It can take 48 – 72 hours for asbestos fibers to fall in a still room."

https://www.cpwr.com/sites/default/files/training/...

When I was 14 my dad bought a warehouse that had asbestos insulation in the offices and I remember removing wooden creosote bricks with my bare hands and breathing in the foot of dust when we were cleaning the warehouse out. I'm kind of surprised I'm healthy! 

You can always work in the property wearing a proper asbestos-approved mask. Things like opening the windows and letting in a breeze would likely disturb any asbestos. 

Finally:

"Do not dust, sweep, or vacuum debris that may contain asbestos. These steps will disturb tiny asbestos fibers and may release them into the air. Remove dust by wet mopping or with a special HEPA vacuum cleaner used by trained asbestos contractors."

https://www.cpsc.gov/safety-education/safety-guide...

[Colleen F.]

I would turn off the fans,wear your respirator and vacuum with a Heppa vacuum, not the normal hepa vacuum but the profesional one if you want to be really careful. You can buy them online, then wet mop. Otherwise just turn the fans off and wet mop will do it. Do not sand the black glue stuff, it may contain asbestos. If you removed them intact it not a real issue, breaking them up is an issue.