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We had a contractor come out to fix some drywall, flooring, and subfloors damaged from a plumbing leak. The floors had hardwood, which we installed over sheet linoleum. They removed both those layers and then a layer of what appears to be asbestos tiling underneath with no precautions other than loose plastic like you’d use for drywall dust. HVAC was on, nothing was sprayed down.

I am getting the tile tested. Is it safe to stay in the home in the meantime? Assuming it is positive, what abatement/remediation is appropriate? Thanks!

isherwood
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Lou
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1 Answers1

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Assuming the asbestos test comes back positive, the likelihood of exposure depends on how they removed the tiles. Asbestos is only a problem when airborne, so if they used a grinder, a circular saw, etc., then the likelihood increases that they spread the dust around. What is more likely is that they used a knife to remove the tiles, in which case probably created little or no dust. In my experience, you can just pry off linoleum tiles with a taping knife, without having to cut them into pieces like you have to do with other materials. So again, chances are low they spread any dust. And if they did, then just clean the surfaces with water and a vacuum with HEPA filters.

None of this is an excuse for lying to you about what they did. So if the asbestos test comes positive, go ahead and report them to your local licensing board. Make sure to send the asbestos test to a specialized lab, and not rely on one of those at-home test kits. The way asbestos is tested is by looking at a sample under a polarized light microscope, ie it's not a chemical test.

Cheery
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