Asbestos Floor Tiles Removal: How Safe It Is to Remove On Your Own?

Asbestos Floor Tiles Removal: Today, there exist so many asbestos containing minerals used for the purpose of flooring. In our attempt for asbestos tiles removal, we often commit mistakes that become a reason for the asbestos exposure.

As you know, asbestos is not only poisons but also a hazardous mineral. Its use has therefore been banned in several countries including the US.

Out of several materials containing asbestos, vinyl asbestos flooring is generally recommended as it is found to be safe. But there often arises so many complications at the time of removing it.

In general, asbestos removal happens to be a great practice but should be done with care. For example, if you are not sure about it, you must take some precautions in the form of hiring an expert for all the asbestos removal around.

For long, people have been making use of vinyl, a form of plastic extensively for making sheets and floor tiles. But it starts creating a hazard once you try to remove them.

Do you know Vinyl is a popular form of plastic which is used as a popular material for making sheets and floor tiles?  It all happens that old vinyl products containing asbestos often remain in a few buildings and become a reason to create a hazard for contractors and owners.

Please note that when you go for asbestos tiles removal, it releases a lot of toxic dust. Due to the lack of awareness and knowledge, a number of workers in the past have become victims of dreaded conditions like mesothelioma and asbestosis.

And so, workers must take precautions to safely remove asbestos floor tiles safely. If being an owner of a building containing asbestos, if you are trying to remove it, always be sure to include a qualified asbestos removal professional with you.

 

What Makes Asbestos Floor Tiles Removal Dangerous?

There was a time when most experts didn't know about the hazards of asbestos and related products. Due to this, it was unknowingly used in the construction of buildings as a main construction material.

The problem started to surface when old materials containing asbestos were disturbed. It's because such materials started workers getting exposed with asbestos fibers.

Due to its nature of dissolving asbestos fibers in the environment, workers continued to become prey to this dangerous mineral when they inhaled them.

Since asbestos is fibrous in nature, it has a property to be pulled apart into a wooly and soft consistency. Due to this when asbestos fibers are mixed into building materials, it makes them stronger and heat resistant.

This is one of the reasons why asbestos was used as an additive in various vinyl flooring products. Unfortunately, inhaling asbestos or related products can lead into several serious diseases.

It all happens when you inhale asbestos fibers; they come along in your body and are collected around the lining of lungs. As your body can't dissolve asbestos fibers, they may take the shape of a scar tissue or genetic changes that lead to cancer.

In spite of so many dangers of asbestos, it is still being used at various construction sites. Many asbestos removal companies are involved to for asbestos removal.

Due to the constant exposure of asbestos fibers, hundreds of workers had to lose their lives in the past. Even if the use of asbestos is quite limited in the US, hundreds of people are still losing their lives.

At present, the focus should be on asbestos floor tiles removal which should be done only in the presence of an expert. While doing that, you need to have asbestos-abatement professional with you before you even think of asbestos removal near you.

 

How to Remove Asbestos Floor Tiles Safely

When it comes to the removal of asbestos floor tiles, you should not take any chance. It means you should perform the asbestos removal process in the presence of an expert.

While workers need to make sure that they use professional gears to better prevent asbestos exposure. They must also follow special procedures to avoid contaminating the entire building.

However, the law only permits that a professional should come along for asbestos removal in commercial buildings.

There are some jurisdictions that allow owners to go ahead with asbestos removal near them, but such an asbestos abatement is never recommended.

Now, even before you think of asbestos removal yourself, you need to gauge state and city regulations for asbestos removal and disposal.

Before you go ahead with Asbestos floor tiles removal, its better that you take some precautions given below:

 

Equipment for safe Asbestos Floor Tiles Removal

There are various equipment that you may consider using for safe asbestos floor tiles removal.

Plastic sheets: It's very crucial that workers must cover all windows, doors and air vents with plastic sheets or flaps and also turn off all the air conditioning units. Any such item left behind that can't be removed as such should be well covered with a plastic.

Respirator with a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter: Please note that if you have ordinary dust masks, they won't protect you from microscopic asbestos fibers. And so, each worker needs to be fully protected by wearing a half- or full-face mask with a HEPA filter.

Air purifier with a HEPA filter: If you set up an air purifier right in the work area, it may give you a protection from the asbestos prone area and contamination.

Disposable coveralls and gloves: Please note that if you have worked in an asbestos prone area, you need to be cautions. It's because asbestos is hard to wash out of clothes.

Pump sprayer filled with water: If you keep asbestos materials wet, it will help its fibers or dust getting into the air. In order to avoid this happening, workers may spray the flooring or an adhesive underneath to keep it damp.

Wet wipes or a HEPA vacuum: It's the duty of workers to properly clean their work area to avoid stirring up asbestos dust. You may also use a vacuum cleaner to trap asbestos fibers mixed with dry dust.

Please be aware that it is illegal to dump asbestos products with your regular trash.

Qualified asbestos abatement professionals know the ways to disperse asbestos in a proper way. While doing that, you can either make use of a trash-pickup service that accepts asbestos.

Also Read: Most Common Occupations Having A High Risk of Asbestos Exposure

Source(s):https://www.asbestos.com/blog/2018/07/13/asbestos-floor-tile-diy-removal/