Did you do anything to the VINYL tile to cause it to release asbestos fibers? Did you sand it? Grind it up? Vinyl flooring with asbestos poses no danger unless it's broken up, or sanded to release the fibers in the air.

Here's a site I quickly found that will help educate you on asbestos in vinyl tiles.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-friable-asbestos.htm#didyouknowout

Some of the vinyl came up with the rubber foam (which we also think may have asbestos, being made in the 60s). Revealing an area with the asbestos material. Other than walking over the vinyl, no.

If you released some fibers into the air and breathed them in, I don't believe there's any remedy, but your risk is probably minimal. As long as you're doing nothing to release the captured fibers into the air, there should be no risk. There is probably tens of millions of square feet of vinyl flooring in use that contains asbestos in the US. I'm unsure if carpet padding generally had asbestos fibers. The worst exposure comes from removing old insulation that comes apart during removal, letting asbestos particles float in the air.

Oh Lord! Sell the children, burn the house and move to Colorado!

Seriously, unless you have been exposed to the frangible type of asbestos for MANY years, you have nothing to worry about....and, unless you were working in the industry, you're OK.

As someone who has reviewed some of the reputable epidemiological studies, I fall in between the view that "one fiber can kill you," and the view that you only have to worry if you worked in the industry for years. It is true that many deaths from asbestos are occupational in nature, but there have been a significant number of deaths of people who have not worked in the industry but got exposed in other ways. It's a complicated issue, and is affected by many things, including whether you smoke but, generally, homeowners who don't do things like sand vinyl asbestos floors, dry scrape asbestos-containing popcorn ceilings, or remove asbestos insulation from heating pipes do not have significant exposure risk from intact asbestos-containing products in their homes.

Unnecessary and unjustified worry is one thing that can kill you or at least make your life miserable...that and cigarettes...and a whole lot of other things.

Man people are such worry warts these days. You do realize that large parts of the country lived in homes filled with asbestos containing products for decades and very few of them ever had any problems.....

You're more likely to be killed by driving next month than you are by that type of exposure. Quit worrying.

I'm also really worried about asbestos. I lifted my aunts old carpet and underlay (it was layed prior to the 1960's') the underlay looked brown and woven but at the time I didn't think and cut it all up with no face mask on. I was exposed for a full hour in the room with particles of the dust floating around. This was 2 weeks ago and since then I have a cough and a cracking when I breath in, I am at my wits end with worry that I now have asbestos in my lungs. Can anyone offer advice please? Wendy in Edinburgh

Wendy-

I have no idea what the underlay was and not sure what it might contain from your description, let alone whether it even had asbestos in it. Totally apart from that, even if you had asbestos exposure from this, it wouldn't account for your symptoms, as asbestos related diseases typically don't occur unless you have had chronic exposure, and don't show up for 20-30 years. What I am sure of is that you breathed in a 50 year accumulation of dust and dirt particles, and insect parts, and food residue, and tobacco particles, etc., and your lungs didn't like taking in that witches' brew. All that crap could have triggered an irritation, or an allergic response, or helped a lung infection get a better foothold. If this doesn't clear up soon, see a doctor for routine treatment.

Next time you decide to rip and tear, consider sending off a sample of suspect materials to a lab for an analysis first, but, in any case, wear a respirator -- not just one of those paper masks. A decent respirator fitted with asbestos canisters is not that expensive and will protect you not only from asbestos, but from a wide range of other small particles so that you won't have this kind of respiratory problem again.

Many thanks and I will take your advice re future moves around domestic stuff, yip I agree it's more likely to be years of dust and other bugs floating around so I will see my GP next week if cough still there, again many thanks. Wendy

The type of carpet underlay you removed may have been a type made with horse hair, as well as various recycled cotton and other fibers. I've torn lots of them up and have had some upper respiratory and skin irritation occur. Kudzu9 sums it up real well. Your body will reject any irritating particles you may have breathed in.

Thanks Glen another voice of reason which is really reassuring many thanks

To the contracting professionals:

Not to hijack the original post but I too am extremely anxious about an asbestos situation that I feel is very valid. So much so, I've been put on anxiety meds because of how scared I am.

The story: We have a large room/dormer on the second floor of our house that my husband and his contractor buddies decided to rip completely down and then make the room larger by putting up brand new framing and all.

The siding on that portion of the house (which was underneath vinyl siding) was cement asbestos siding. Husband and friends cut through this siding in order to remove the old framing of the dormer. The only thing separating the rest of my house from the demolished area was a closed bedroom door (that is old and has gaps in it). The door was absolutely opened at some point during the demo because the workers had to use our upstairs bathroom. Another imporant point is that our central AC/heat return grill is located right outside the bedroom door of the demo'ed room. The heat was definitely on at some point during the demo. Our return air filters are basic- nothing that could've catched the asbestos fibers- trust me, I did tons of research. Therefore, I'm totally freaked that the asbestos fibers have been re-circulating throughout my entire house all this time via the central AC/heating system. My 2 year old and I were inside the house (downstairs) at the time of the demo.

My husband is not worried whatsoever, neither is my family. Husband says since the work was done in open air technically, that the air return couldn't have sucked it up b/c there was wind blowing outside, etc. I am too afraid (and don't have it in my budget) to get our air tested. I'm too afraid of the results.

Note: I *DID* end up having an asbestos testing company come out a couple months after the demo and they tested dust from the project and it came back negative for asbestos. That's good news, however, we are almost 100% sure the siding was asbestos cement (but can't test it because it's long gone now).

Honestly, guys, how worried would you be?

Not worried at all.

If you smoke tobacco or another similar substance. then quitting now will further put your mind at ease. And, if any family member smokes, insist that they smoke outside your house.

Worry more about traveling by automobile on our roads...now THAT's something to worry about.

Thanks Glennsfc. So you wouldnt be concerned about the HVAC scenario and get the air tested? everyone tells me not to waste my money. do you agree?

None of us smoke.

Was there carpeting in the house when the work was done? You would probably want those deep cleaned or vacuumed with a machine with a HEPA filter. And, you can have your HVAC ductwork cleaned if that would make you feel better.

Any test will probably show no higher a number of fibers per cubic liter of air than the normal usual and typical level of fibers for your region. These little fibers are just about everywhere.

Great that no one smokes...smoking or driving while drunk are two things that can possibly kill you and your loved ones for sure.

You're not an asbestos worker...don't worry...

Glenn, yes, theres carpet in the house. it has been cleaned with a residential quality (Bissell) wet vac and dry vac that has a HEPA (cleaning done by me).

Do you work around asbestos? husband is an electrician and has worked around it several times and hes not concerned. he says that he has asked fellow contractor friends how they would have done the demo and they all agree they would have done it the same way. Crazy to me but true.

My friend's neighbors house had asbestos tiles in the basement when I was a kid 30 years ago. I just remembered this a week ago. Do I have anything to worry about???

sambah006 you have nothing to worry about..

llh1007 Any flooring contractor my age has had lots of exposure.

sambah-

Yes, the same worries as 300 million other Americans -- which is essentially zero -- unless you were sitting in the basement when he power sanded the floor.

Kudzu9-- any feedback on my post above?

lih1107-
. I think your husband sounds a little too cavalier about asbestos, but the particular situation you describe does sound like it posed little to no risk to the interior of the house or the occupants. I would not worry about this, but I would suggest you get a second opinion in the future if your husband decides to tear into any asbestos-containing materials inside the house.

kudzu9-- thanks for the input. My husband will definitely take more caution next time since he knows how worried I am.

I put a MERV 13 filter on our air return upstairs but that wasnt until a few months after demo. I am not sure what else I can do at this point. Everytime the sun hits I get anxious when I see the millions of dust particles, thinking the worst (that it is asbestos).. Ugh, torture.

If there were any asbestos fibers that got inside, they are long since gone. They are microscopic and easily airborne, which means that they would have been carried outside long ago due to normal air exchange.

kudzu9- thanks again. So you think testing the indoor air would be pointless at this point?

Most of those millions of dust particles suspended in room air are human skin cells which we constantly shed and pet dander. Yuck! Right?

PS- Heres a pic of the old dormer that was demolished (incase this changes anyones mind)... hope not!

Doesn't change my mind, and air testing will not be useful. There is always a little bit of "background" asbestos floating around in the air we all breathe anyway, so you could get a positive result that would have nothing to do with your project.

I think you're good. Please stop worrying yourself any further.

I recently discovered that I have damaged and frayed asbestos on my basement pipes, small pieces of which fell on the basement floor. Apparently, it has been in this condition for about a year. I go to the basement about twice a week to do laundry. The laundry machine and dryer are on the other side of the basement, across from the pipes. Should I be worried? Can any asbestos fibers be carried up to my upstairs hallway through a draft?

Hi there. I'm renting am attic bedroom that has two large vinyl printed rugs. They look like they may be from the 1920s. The house is over a hundred years old. They lie on top of a creaky uneven wood floor. When I moved in, the room hadn't been dusted for years so I spent three days, lifting the vinyl rugs up, vacuuming, mopping. The rugs have some cracks in them and a worn away section. I've been walking on them every day, occasionally dragging furniture across them. I only recently learned that they probably contain asbestos. How much danger am I in? Should I be worried?

If you think you’ve been exposed to asbestos, here’s what you should do.

https://www.heatingair.org/

Consult a doctor.

Talk to your doctor if you think you’ve been exposed to asbestos. They can help you determine your risk of developing an asbestos-related disease. “The good news is that one-off, limited exposure to asbestos is typically harmless short and long term.

Most of the people who develop asbestos-related ilnesses were exposed to the material on a regular basis. These diseases usually take a long time to develop. Most people don’t have symptoms until 10 to 40 years after exposure, the National Cancer Institute says. If your doctor knows that you’ve been exposed to asbestos, they may monitor you for symptoms.

If symptoms occur, get a diagnosis

The signs of asbestos-related diseases can be similar to other health conditions. People with these diseases may have shortness of breath, chest pain and a chronic cough. Some asbestos-related diseases can also make you cough up blood or lose weight without trying to.

To diagnose diseases associated with asbestos, doctors may use a variety of lung tests. Imaging tests, including chest X-rays or computerized tomography (CT) scans, can help your doctor spot changes in your lungs. Your doctor may also ask you to blow big breaths into a machine to see how well your lungs are working.

I just broke a piece of tile and realized it contains asbestos