What Happens if You Break Tiles During Asbestos Tile Removal?

Asbestos was banned in the 1980’s due to considerable health risks associated with it. This ban from production didn’t necessarily mean that all products, including floor tiles, had been ripped out of homes or commercial buildings. While many of us know that Asbestos can be found in the attic insulation of older homes, it may have been a surprise when you found out your floor tiles could contain Asbestos. That’s why people are now opting for Asbestos tile removal in Michigan. 

Removing These Toxic Floor Tiles

According to Bob Villa, if floor tiles were installed between 1920 and 1960, there’s a good chance they contain Asbestos. This is because most flooring tiles manufactured during this period did. If your tiles were installed between 1960 and 1980, there’s a slight chance they contain Asbestos, because it has started to be fazed out at that point.

Due to the fact that your floor tiles are decades old, it’s likely that you’ll want to replace them during a remodel. This is especially true if you now know they contain Asbestos! As scary as it sounds to be walking around on Asbestos, the floor tiles will not release toxic fibers and pose a health risk unless they are disturbed. Sanding, sawing, drilling, or tearing the tiles out, however, can release fibers into the air where they can be inhaled. 

What Happens if the Tiles Break?

Extreme caution should be taken to not disturb them during a project that entails Asbestos tile removal. Working with Asbestos flooring can release toxic dust, especially if the tile is broken. When Asbestos flooring is crumbling or damaged, it is considered friable. Friable Asbestos materials are very dangerous. It needs to be removed very carefully to avoid Asbestos exposure.

If you break the flooring into pieces while removing it, you have turned it into a friable material. When these old materials are disturbed, they become quite toxic. When you breathe in microscopic Asbestos fibers, your body cannot dissolve them. They can get stuck in your body forever. The Asbestos fibers may eventually cause the buildup of scar tissue or genetic changes that lead to Mesothelioma, cancer, and other chronic conditions. For this reason, it is always safest to leave Asbestos tile removal to abatement professionals.

Safe Asbestos Removal

Homeowners or commercial building owners should never attempt to remove Asbestos floor tiles on their own. Only licensed abatement professionals should handle Asbestos materials, as it is too toxic to be considered a DIY task. The safest removal option is to have an Asbestos remediation contractor remove the old tiles. For those in Michigan, the Asbestos tile removal team to call is Clean Cut Abatement!