Percent Of Asbestos In Floor Tiles

Asbestos is a toxic fibrous mineral that s heat and fire resistant and absorbs sound making it a popular building material.
Percent of asbestos in floor tiles. But that changes as soon as you decide to remove it. You might find these asbestos containing materials in. The use of asbestos has been common in multiple industries throughout history and especially during the 19th and early 20th century. Besides being included in floor tiles sheet flooring and tile adhesive some of the purposes for which it was used included.
Most asbestos tiles had glossy surfaces making them easy to clean and maintain. Armstrong produced the excelon tile series beginning with a plastic asbestos floor tile series in 1954 referring to the product as vinyl plastic asbestos floor tiles beginning in 1955 and vinyl asbestos tiles from 1957 to 1980. Intact asbestos tiles are not a major risk and can in fact be left in place and covered with other materials such as carpet vinyl linoleum or concrete. The bar is typically set very low requiring materials with as little as one percent asbestos to go in an approved waste area.
If floor tiles were installed between 1920 and 1960 there s a good chance they contain asbestos because most flooring tiles manufactured during this period did. From the 1950s to the 1980s almost every vinyl floor tile sold contained between 2 percent and 10 percent asbestos. Asbestos containing products are still manufactured and sold in the us but manufacture distribution and installation is strongly regulated by the epa. Asbestos in floor tiles.
Tiles that are disintegrating should be handled with. However it was discovered that inhaling asbestos fibers could cause serious illness and the use of asbestos was drastically curtailed in homes and. Examine the condition of the tiles. Vinyl tiles with asbestos are all 12 12 or 9 9 tiles with asbestos.
9 x9 12 x12 and 18 x18. Asbestos was a silicate mineral and practically indestructible. Unlike many asbestos containing materials vinyl asbestos flooring is generally safe to be around. Vinyl floor tiles tile backing and tile adhesive.
Asbestos tiles stood up in high traffic areas nearly as well as ceramic and stone tiles. The asbestos industry in the us has been severely curtailed as manufacturers suffering from the effects of extreme but necessary regulation have turned to less regulated alternative materials. Resilient sheet flooring containing asbestos was also produced finding wide use as early as 1968. Vinyl is a type of plastic that has long been a popular material for floor tiles and sheets.
In floor tiles asbestos is used primarily for its insulation properties and its ability to resist fire.