My contractor told me, inorder for the County to give as the permit for demolition for my second floor addition to my house, we need to removed the vinyl tile floor in my basement (15 x 20 area), because it's contaminated with asbestos. My contractor will do it by himself and will put everything in a double bag and will hire a disposal co. to disposed it. How safe are we in staying in the house after they removed it? We will be staying in the house for another 1-2 Months before they do the actual construction.
2007-09-19 07:09:55 · 10 answers · asked by erving t 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
The contractor must hire a licenced firm to take out the tile and dispose of it. If he does it by himself without a licence, you should fire him and probably report him. You cannot be in the house while the work is taking place, but a qualified crew shouldn't need more than a couple of days to finish a home job. After the work is done, there is no problem being in the house. The whole point of having a company come remove it is that it is gone! There will be no dust or any other traces of it if they do their job right.
I worked for a school district and several buildings had asbestos in them, including the vinyl floor tile. The asbestos was used as a lubricant during the manufacturing process. It's really quite an amazing material besides the killing people part. The problem lies in the inhalation. Small particles enter your lungs and cause tiny cuts inside the lungs themselves. These will heal, but it is impossible to remove the particles so coughing and sneezing move them about causing more damage over and over. The asbestos in tile is not "safe" but is not a threat unless it is drilled or pulverized in some way. There are thousands of buildings across the country with this same tile and there are no concerns except for those mentioned. After it is removed, live in your house with no concerns for the asbestos
2007-09-19 13:45:38 · answer #1 · answered by MattH 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If your contractor is not a licensed abatement contractor, he SHOULD NOT be removing the floor tile unless your Dept. of Environmental Quality and/or your County dept say the quantity and type of material is exempt. There's a lot to know about asbestos abatement, and the average contractor should not do this without Asbestos Worker certification.
Is the removal hazardous? It depends. If a licensed abatement contractor is removing the tile with a good negative-pressure containment OR they are using intact methods of removal (like dry ice, heating, etc) then you should be fine to stay in the house. Floor tile does not tend to release fibers into the air as long as it's not sanded, abraded, drilled, or broken up. 15X20 feet is not much tile either.
Since you're remodeling your house, I would get an environmental consultant to conduct a remodel asbestos survey to ensure other asbestos-containing materials aren't being impacted, such as plaster, gypboard, joint compound, spray-on ceiling and wall textures, etc. Those materials are much more likely to release airborne fibers.
2007-09-20 14:35:45 · answer #2 · answered by jazznsax 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Make sure your contractor hires a licensed asbestos abatement crew. You should be fine to stay in the house since a qualified crew will enclose the area and test the air before they break the seal on the space.
This is one of those things you should not try to skimp on.
2007-09-19 07:17:30 · answer #3 · answered by Webster 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i would check with the county permit, section, vinyl tile is what they call
non friable, don,t see why you need an asbestos abatement crew for this, just to remove a second floor, when the tile is in the basment,? I would question this,
2007-09-19 08:00:15 · answer #4 · answered by William B 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes it will be perfectly safe. The asbestos abatement crew will not allow the asbestos to become airborne. Asbestos is completely harmless unless inhaled into the lungs. Asbestos in floor tile is not friable, that is, it will not float around in the air to be inhaled.
2007-09-19 07:35:04 · answer #5 · answered by John himself 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That should be quite o'kay,as removal method,must keep the asbestos material damp, for removal. Providing that it is damp,there is no danger,as the asbestos particles cannot get into the air.
2007-09-19 07:18:08 · answer #6 · answered by gary r 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If they don't ripe it out you are ok, but as soon as they start taking it out you have to get out of the house and stay out until it is completely removed, this stuff is very dangerous, it can cause a lot of pulminary problems as well as potential cancer.
2007-09-19 07:19:07 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
What does he say? They usually enclose the area to be done.
2007-09-19 09:25:52 · answer #8 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
have you gona mad?! of course it isnt safe for your family to stay! asbestos is harmful chemical..even the people who remover it have to wear insulated suits with full protection. that stuff is deadly!
2007-09-19 07:16:27 · answer #9 · answered by rofz 1 · 0⤊ 4⤋
No.
2007-09-19 07:19:55 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 4⤋