Is asbestos in floor glue dangerous?

Question

Our church was looking at putting in a new floor and when we brought contractors in to give estimates they told us that the old floor was put down using asbestos floor glue. Now we have heard two different stories from two different contractors. One says we should remove it the other says we don't have to.

Answer 1

asbestos dangerous? nah it aint, why listen to those government scientists at the EPA? what do they know? the worst thing that could happen is that the pencil necks ARE right and you guys get cancer.

Answer 2

Ok...

Absestos is a kind of fibrous rock (maybe you've manipulated it in a science class if your teacher was not the hysterical type ;-). The most dangerous form (which should not be manipulated!!!), is crysotile.

For asbestos to cause disease, you have to breathe those fibers in. When you do so, it gets stuck in you lungs and causes damage to the cell lining which is exchanging gazes (CO2 for oxygen).

Asbestos is not a gas, neither a liquid, so it does NOT produce vapors, and CANNOT penetrate the skin. When the fibers are all mixed up in glue, there's very little chances that the fibers can be free to be able to enter your lungs, since they are wet, and stuck in the glue.

So that glue is probably very safe to use, apart from the solvent vapors, which if I were you, would worry me more than the contents in absestos.

Answer 3

If the asbestos fibres are held securely in the old glue, and they're going to put a new layer of glue on top before putting the new flooring down, there should be no danger.

Answer 4

asbestos is dangerous in any situation in which you want to remove it. Left alone, it is inert and captured and not a danger. I'd cover the old floor and leave it alone, not nearly as expensive as the specialized set up it takes to remove asbestos from a building.

Answer 5

Any asbestos is dangerous to your respiratory system