Vinyl Flooring Asbestos Testing

You can also have a flooring sample tested for asbestos using one of the certified asbestos testing labs in this asbestos testing lab list.

Vinyl flooring asbestos testing.

An example would be a floor slab made from asbestos cement. Found in many manufactured products prior to the mid 1980 such as pipe insulation ceiling and floor tiles paints caulking fire resistant clothing and brake pads. Lab testing of flooring for asbestos content. For 100 protection you need to use n100 or p100 dust masks.

Asbestos is a mineral that occurs naturally in the environment that is made up of long thin fibers that look similar to fiberglass. Testing of vinyl flooring for asbestos. But when vinyl asbestos flooring is in good condition it is considered nonfriable. Asbestos exposure may pose serious health risks.

When vinyl asbestos flooring is crumbling or damaged it is considered friable. Unfortunately vinyl sheet flooring manufactured with an asbestos backing poses a serious exposure risk when it is disturbed. The asbestos floor tile identification articles in this series illustrate that with the combination of design appearance and an idea of floor tile age many asbestos containing floor tiles or sheet flooring products can be reliably identified even before confirmation by a test by a certified asbestos testing laboratory. When you take a sample presume the worst and protect yourself from asbestos.

Asbestos is a mineral that lends fireproofing qualities to any substance it is mixed with. Asbestos was used in vinyl wallpaper from the 1920s and in the vinyl floor tiles and sheet flooring that rose to prominence in the 1950s. In this case it needs to be removed very carefully to avoid asbestos exposure. Therefore if you don t see signs of disintegrating pipes insulation walls vinyl flooring or other old materials in your home testing for asbestos may not be necessary.

What are asbestos floor tiles. If you want to test for asbestos keep in mind that asbestos is only dangerous when it degrades and becomes airborne. But the flooring companies aim wasn t so much to make the floor tiles fireproof as it was to make the tiles more durable. Asbestos vinyl flooring was a durable and economical material that offered many aesthetic options to suit a homeowner s taste.

If you face a costly dusty messy demolition it may be appropriate to have a sample of the flooring tested. This method is easy and is not time consuming. Because asbestos can t be seen with the naked eye materials must be submitted to laboratory certified by the environmental protection agency epa for testing prior to a remodel. Multiple layers of tiles.

If you have time and about 40.