Asbestos Floor Tiles Low Risk

Asbestos floor tiles will not release toxic fibers and pose a health risk unless they are disturbed.

Asbestos floor tiles low risk.

If the asbestos floor tiles or sheet flooring have been painted coated with a sealant or floored over using carpet laminate or any other continuous flooring so that the original floor is not exposed the risk level provided by the original asbestos containing flooring is low to beneath the level of detection in the building. Manufacturers often made this type of flooring with a friable asbestos backing which means asbestos fibres are easily released into the air if the sheet flooring. Therefore they generally pose a lower risk to health. That means it is safe to walk on but not safe to scrape sand or use power tools on.

Asbestos vinyl sheet flooring poses a significantly greater asbestos exposure risk than floor tiles or wallpaper. Floor tiles can become friable if they are mishandled damaged or are in a badly worn or weathered condition. Mixing asbestos into vinyl floor tiles made them more insulating and resistant to damage. In many cases the best thing to do about vinyl asbestos flooring is put a new layer of flooring on top of it.

Unfortunately vinyl sheet flooring manufactured with an asbestos backing poses a serious exposure risk when it is disturbed. In most cases vinyl tiles are considered non friable. If the floor is true linoleum damage does not present a danger of asbestos inhalation unless it extends all the way to the subfloor and exposes the mastic which may contain asbestos. Sanding sawing drilling or tearing the tiles out however can release fibers into the air.

Older vinyl or rubber floors that are damaged are a different story because the tiles can release asbestos so they need to be removed. Both these options will keep the asbestos trapped in the floor.