check out this link, it should be helpful to you: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/asbestos/floortile/index.html#when

Watch this week's This Old House... they are doing the same thing as you, taking up ashestos tiles.

But for me, I would just take it out myself. Pulling up the tiles is not that big of an asbestos or health problem. Lawyers and contractors who remove asbestos have made this their gold mine business. In my state, a homeowner can remove it himself.

People with health problems from asbestos, worked around it via mining it, or manufacturing process for years. Nothing will happen if you are around it for a few hours, when pulling up a tile floor, with good dust mask on.

My 2 cents.....

I once worked on a maintenance/engineering crew in a school system in Massachusetts and we had to strip asbestos bearing floor tile in a 20'x36'class room. A total of 720sq.ft.

The state law said a workman could remove up to 12 square feet per day without a permit.

The solution:

We had 5 men on the crew and each man removed 12 tiles per day for a total of 60 tiles a day thus in 12 days we were able to legally remove the tiles without a permit.

I used to work in the asbestos removal area. Floor tiles are not the highest risk to remove, but they often don't come up easily and they fracture into a lot of pieces, releasing fibres. In addition, the adhesive residue left behind is a mess to cleanup and often contains fibres, too. If it were me and I didn't have to remove it, I wouldn't take the risk or pay to have it removed. If it's over a wood floor, glue and screw or nail down a new, thin subfloor and put on a new covering. If the existing tile is sound you may be able to put a new covering over it directly

Kudzu,

Read the original post (it amazes me how many people don't read the ORIGINAL QUESTIONS here)- homeowner needs access under floor, to inspect and make repairs.

Lazypup, interesting the law regarding the 12 square feet. I wonder if the asbestos fibres are law-abiding in terms of knowing not to get into anyone's lungs, lol?

Drafted72,

No offense - how do I put this? You are full of it. It's not length of exposure, although clearly the more you're exposed to it, the worse it is. To a susceptible person, just one fibre can trigger one of the asbestos diseases. How do you know you're susceptible? When you get mesothilioma or whatever.

You must take appropriate safety precautions. It's probably law where the original poster is, and morally and ethically the right thing to do, in terms of disposal as well.

I have removed asbestos board myself, I didn't know it was 'fibro' as they call it in Australia, til I was stripping out my old kitchen. I sealed the inner door, and pulled the sheets off slowly to minimise dust, and wet the material down. That step's important, as it lays the dust or prevents it from rising.
Wrapped in plastic straight away.

Was I successful?? (in not contaminating myself?) Won't know for a few years yet, although it may be academic as my neighbour, whose house was completely clad in asbestos products, illegally and carelessly stripped the whole place himself - he wore no protection, and took no steps to protect his family or neighbours. I can still see his father standing in the asbestos disposal bin (he did at least organise proper disposal) standing right in the middle of the bin, smashing it into tiny pieces, sending dust everywhere.

Still burns me up to think about it.

Oh yes...this asbestos question. If you search this site under my user name you can find my comments about the stuff.

I have been repeatedly exposed to the mineral and I am just lucky that so far I seem to be disease free. I hope it stays that way for a very long time.

You must respect the stuff and handle it as recommended by EPA. A NYC homeowner can legally remove asbestos containing flooring materials and place them out for regular trash pick up. However, in the commercial venue removal of more than 10 square feet becomes an asbestos abatement job and requires permits and proper disposal.

If the original poster follows recommended practices for removing a few tiles and then removes any black adhesive as recommended, then I can't see how it can't be safely done. However, use a dust mask that is rated for asbestos. A nuisance dust mask does not filter the exceptionally small fibers.

The flooring manufacturers were indeed criminally negligent in their incorporation of the fiber in their products in that they knew of the hazardous nature of the mineral and did not inform dealers, installers or end users. Congress has protected this bunch of corporate criminals from the justice they deserve by attempting to establish 'asbestos trusts' that are supposed to shield these entities from future lawsuits and provide relief and compensation for those affected by their negligence. The stockholders of the guilty entities will be the real winners here. The way in which these corporations are being protected is disgraceful. And we can all thank the 'lawyers' for their work in shielding the guilty!

And, yes, some elected representatives share in the guilt!

And now I'll get down off my soap box.

Asbestos, ONLY, becomes dangerous to those susceptible when it becomes "friable", IE airborne. A film of water and prudent removal practices will prevent this.
While it would be impossible for the average homeowner to test for the presence of asbestos in the tile itself, there is a simple test which can identify adhesive products, (cut-back), that contain asbestos as a binding agent.

With the adhesive exposed, introduce a small quantity of boiling water. If the adhesive bubbles, IT IS NOT, a true cut-back adhesive and can be safely removed.

There are a number of commercially available adhesive softening products used in the removal of asphalitic based adhesives.

I have a related question. I have old vinyl flooring that has been glued to what looked like 1/2" particle board. My GC has just started working on the piers and have cut out the vinyl flooring still attached to the particle board. We have no idea if abestos glue was used and we are out of the house for 6 months. Do we need to worry or make sure an abatement procedure is being used if they are just cutting and ripping out the flooring still attached to the particle board. It does seem to be original (35 year old) flooring.

I have mentioned to the foundation owner--even that some of the old ducts in subspace may have abestos tape on it. No one seems concerned--just us, though we are out of there for the most part, but do go inside to check on things.

Asbestos tile is not friable even under the EPA rules.

It is only 'friable' when made so by mechanical means that pulverizes the product.

valinsv
If the material being removed is a part of the contractors
scope of work, he is responsible for the removal of the debris.
What you need to do is have the contractor have the suspected material tested.
If no asbestos is found then proceed, if there is, then abatement is necessary, as well ar a through air scrubbing prior to closing walls and ceilings.

brickeyee;

You are correct, a 9"X9" square of VAT (Vinyl Asbestos Tile) undisturbed in the box, glued to the floor with or with out cut-back adhesive, or tossed like a Frisbee, does not meet the definition of friable.
And to reinforce this, when my dad and i would demo tile floors in the late 40's, using tools of the time, hammers chisels, scrapers and sanders, and then in the 90's as a super for const. co's preforming TI's at TRW, HUGHES, Reython and the US Army, we always asked the floor tile (VAT) if there would be any dust, (which does meet the definition of friable) and the tile emphatically reassured us, that all the bust would be self encapsulated.

If you want to know about Asbestos companies dodging their responsibilities, look at the so-called 'Australian' company James Hardie industries - quite big in North America - that moved - not its operations, just its legalities - to the Netherlands to protect its assets from Asbestos claims, and set up a fund that was pathetically small to cover claims. Even now, it's agreed to do the right thing but continues to stonewall.

Normally, as someone who lived in Australia for many years, I'm pleased to see an Aussie co making its way in the world, but the lack of corporate ethics and responsibilities in JH makes me ashamed.

Ahhh...but it is when that VAT tile tossed like a frisbee hits the pavement that it is converted into a friable state. A portion of it has been pulverized by the action.

Looking forward to school districts and the aclu to enjoin the frizbee mfg. demanding a safety lable restricting VAT frizbee use to a lawn game.