BobVila.com

Asbestos Tile

same problem

Friability and non-intact removal

Tomh, I've read many of your posts re: Asbestos tile removal and, as someone who is willing to balance risks in the right situation, I have no problem removing my tile and have, in fact, already started to do so (albeit unwittingly). I do have several questions for you though.

Here's a brief history of my project. A prior owner of my 1939 home removed most of an entire basement worth of 9x9 asbestos tiles except under the washer/dryer and in a dingy basement bathroom. When I started my whole basement remodel I tore down some plywood ceilings in the old basement only to discover that was where the prior owner threw all of the removed tiles. So when I pulled the plywood down, my friends and I were covered in old tile and dust. It didn't occur to me that these tiles were asbestos at the time.

The tiles under the washer/dryer (about 12 tiles total) came off whole very easily, but the tiles in the old bathroom are very hard to remove. Before I realized they were asbestos, I had chipped up about a dozen tiles, but it got progressively more difficult. After unsuccessfully trying to loosen the black mastic with various orange cleaners and mineral spirits, I turned to heating the tiles with a heat gun, which allowed the tiles to be scraped up in large pieces (not whole tiles). Of course, the smell is atrocious, and it was still very slow work.

At this point I only have 20 whole or partial tiles left.

Here are my questions.
1. Is using a heat gun or iron safe with this material? Is using dry ice for the opposite effect better? If I can't seal the remaining 20 tiles what is the best way to get them up? It seems like using a heat gun won't work well with wetting the tiles down.

2. Considering all I was exposed to before I realized they were asbestos, should I just finish this last part or should I call a contractor? Does the fact I now have a newborn matter? (I send him out when I work on this stuff, but he has to return to the house sometime)

3. Am I going to die? From reading your posts, it seems like the dust in the old ceiling was more likely 30 years of house dust and not asbestos dust. Even though I can no longer do anything about that, do I need to have someone come in and test my whole house for airborne particles?

Thanks,

asbestos tile