I think your contractor is correct leave it be air out the house and do the tile it has already done whatever bit of damage . IMO asbestos related illness was and is from prolonged exposure to the dust not a bit one day. The best thing to do is cover it up no more disturbing the it. BTW yourcarpet will increase dust and bacteria a lot faster than this small amount of dust in the air . Just open all the windows and get a fan in the door .

Really I have been doing renovations for a very long time and the consensus is you cover it and not disturb it . Asbestoe removal is a huge expense and IMO. a big rip off in most cases

While asbestos removal may seem like the obvious choice for dealing with asbestos, it’s often complicated, expensive and can result in extensive downtime. In contrast, asbestos encapsulation within a seamless, protective coating is possibly the safest and most cost effective method of asbestos management. It involves relatively little disturbance of the asbestos, therefore minimising risk.

But that’s not the only advantage to asbestos encapsulation. For example, roofs are an area where asbestos tends to be rife, with an estimated 1.5 million non-domestic properties reported to have an asbestos roof. Opting to encapsulate roof asbestos as opposed to removing it:

• Eradicates the need to dispose of the material, which can be hazardous, costly and is subject to strict controls
• Can be completed more efficiently which, in turn, reduces overall disruption, on-site time and any associated costs

Thanks @Patricia Colwell Consulting. I'm hoping to get the tiles tested this weekend (although I won't have results probably for several days) so that I know if it is or not. But if it is, and I need to stop disrupting the floor further, then I'm also back to my original problem. The subfloor was saggy and not level and this would mean we're stuck with that saggy un-level subfloor. This whole thing was to level the floor so I could lay down new 12" x 24" porcelain tiles. What floor materials do you recommend now, that will both keep the Asbestos locked down, but also provide the best possible waterproof, non-slip surface for a room that sees snow-covered boots traipsing in and out all winter (and then melting into puddles from the warmth indoors). I try and get the family to use the boot trays, but inevitably, some boots miss the trays and end up creating puddles of water on the floor.

We put a floating laminate over our decaying asbestos-ridden linoleum. Worked like a dream. Looks great (although almost anything would have been an improvement.

You have to know what you are dealing with before you know how to address the issue. Get both the tile and glue tested.

Agree that the best answer is not to disturb the asbestos - too late now, most of the tile has been removed, some of the glue removed.

We are all breathing in small amounts of Asbestos every day. It is in our water and air. Higher exposure is linked more closely with disease so like with smoking cigarettes' your chance of getting lung cancer increases with each cigarette you smoke. Working in a mine you are exposed to higher concentrations of Asbestos every day.

I wouldn't be loosing my mind if I found myself in your situation. I would have the work completed using safe removal methods (can't lay flooring over 1/2 removed flooring) and have the house deep cleaned by a company that knows how to properly remove asbestos fibers. They won't get them all, but they can measure the number of fibers in the air and determine when it is at a "normal" level.

https://www.asbestos.com/mesothelioma/statistics/

• "Out of all people with heavy, prolonged exposure to asbestos, 2% to 10% develop pleural mesothelioma."

https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/mesothelioma/#:~:text=In%20rare%20cases%2C%20individuals%20develop,exposure%20to%20asbestos%20or%20erionite.

"Approximately 70 to 80% of affected individuals have a significant history of asbestos exposure making it the major associated risk factor for the development of mesothelioma."

https://www.asbestos.com/mesothelioma/statistics/#:~:text=Mesothelioma%20Statistics,of%20all%20U.S.%20cancer%20diagnoses.

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer. Approximately 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma annually in the United States, making up less than 0.3% of all U.S. cancer diagnoses.

Hope the tests come back clean!

How wonderful!