I'll keep this relatively short. I started my bathroom remodel on Monday. Plan includes gutting to the studs, addressing lack of plumbing access, new floor, new shower/tub, new vanity, new lighting, recessed cabinets, and of course green back drywall in place. I got everything ripped out as of last night, but here's the kicker. The ORIGINAL floor (house was built in 1979) under the sticky back tiles we put down to temporarily cover the yellow sheet vinyl three years ago came up in a top layer, with most of the fiberous backing still stuck to the plywood subfloor. I never gave it any thought until reading about a topic this morning, but that flooring MAY contain asbestos (in either the backing, the adhesive, or both). Aside from having it sent to a lab to test, I'm at a standstill...I think. I wear a full respirator when doing this work, and I haven't overly disturbed the fiber backing to put too much of it in the air, but it's still a worry. I can't find any definitive answer on a timeframe when asbestos may or may have been phased out in flooring material like this. If I get it tested, this is opening up a whole can of worms, and more importantly tons of $$. I can't just lay the new flooring over top because of height to the hallway floor/threshold, so the flooring has to come out. I thought about cutting out the flooring all together, but even that would generate dust that would then be airborne. So, I'm looking for input (posted on a construction forum as well) from those of you with experience (iHunt, Buckeye, etc.,). What do you suggest as my next course of action?
Pray that it isn't asbestos and that no one finds out if it is. I know a dude who went to prison for illegal asbestos removal. I am not sure on when asbestos was completely phased out either. I would think it was prior to 1979 but I cannot say for sure.
Is it in a place that you can keep wet while removing it? If so I would probably carefully take it up.
Was he a licensed contractor doing so without a license to remove asbestos? I find it really hard to believe a homeowner ripping up a sheet vinyl floor in a bathroom would go to prison, but I suppose with our legal system the way it is, it wouldn't surprise me either. The legality of it is the least of my concern. I'm more concerned about health issues and addressing that. At this point I don't have much choice but to have it tested. I'm not going to try to remove it myself if it turns out to be asbestos.
I think it was not until around 91 but most companies had stopped using it by the late 70s, if memory serves.
I'm not sure when they quit using it, either. I could ask my boss for you, he had to take a course on the proper ways to handle asbestos. Do you have a shop vac that does not have an exhaust valve by chance? We have one specifically for asbestos, but I think it was in the $1,000 range. Since we are not a commercial company (basically a bunch of farmers), we usually just keep it quiet and rip it up. We still use all the masks and hepa-vacs and plastic wall the room off, but that's basically it. We just try to make as little dust as possible (keep sawing to a minimum), then vac like crazy afterwards.
No, he was the owner of a company that produced custom mattress... He tore it out put it in bags and threw it in the trash. He got caught, was charged with a felony, went to prison all the while losing his company.
No I don't have a HEPA vac. So let me rephrase this. If this was your house, and you just did what I did, what would you do? I'm very leery of even spraying it down and scraping. I don't know how much of the exposure and health related risks are factual, and under what conditions and what period of time causes health effects, but I certainly don't want to take any risks. I assume having it tested would be the first step.
If it were my house, I would probably just wet it down and sawzall it out. I don't know that it's the right thing to do, but I'm just being honest. Just do everything you can to minimize and contain any dust.
Here's a bit if timeline info I found in a search http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-219519.html Vinyl flooring installed in 1992 will give you little to worry about, since asbestos in vinyl was outlawed as of 1982 (this did not prevent the sale of existing stocks, however). Same for the adhesive. If asbestos does exist, your exposure is going to be minimal unless you take a sander to the floor to remove the adhesive. … The EPA put an absolute ban on all materials used in the construction of housing for the public in 1989. Most asbestos containg materials were outlawed in 1977. But you know how many businesses are...they found loopholes. In 1999, the final word was given to the city of New Orleans in their appeal to the EPA, that the 1989 ruling would stand.
MGH, Sending PM now, I am a licensed asbestos inspector in OH and have done a lot of inspections and abatement oversight.
