A couple of years ago, I went to replace a vinyl floor in a
basement level bathroom of my house. As I lifted up the old
flooring I found the mastic was white with a fibrous look to it.
Because my house was built over 20 years ago, I was concerned
that I might have uncovered a source of asbestos in my home and
just exposed myself to a risk of mesothelioma cancer.
I stopped my project and did some further research. Prior to the
1970's many types of building products and insulation materials
used in homes contained asbestos. I used to watch my father, a
private contractor, and I remember him using asbestos insulation
for a heating pipe inside a wall. That was a long time ago, but
the research I've done shows that this stuff is still very much
with us as it is often more harmful to have it removed than to
simply leave it alone.
I found a local agency that does asbestos testing and gave them
a call. I was told that usually the best thing is to leave
asbestos material alone, if it is in good condition. This is
because material that is more or less "stable" will not release
asbestos fibers which means you don't have a significant expose
risk. In this situation the risk is actually greater if you try
to remove it. Asbestos isn't like radioactive material and isn't
going to harm you just sitting there. You need to breathe in the
fibers to be at risk.
However, if the asbestos material shows signs of wear or damage
which includes tearing, abrasion, or water damage. Or if it is
exposed to abrasion, extreme vibration or air flow you should
have it repaired or removed by a professional as it may be
"ejecting" fibers into the air.
So there I am with a half torn up vinyl floor and the worry that
I have just very much disturbed so-called asbestos material.
Oops.
My choices were now to have this tested, and if it did have
asbestos fibers I would need it removed and possibly have my
house decontaminated as well. If material on the EPA's "Sample
List of Suspect Asbestos-Containing Materials Exit Ecology" was
manufactured with asbestos in the past, it is safe to assume
that it contains asbestos. In this case, I had no idea. I wasn't
certain when these materials were manufactured and had no way to
find out. Unless testing, the date of manufacture, the label, or
the manufacturer verifies that the material is asbestos free,
the material may be presumed to have asbestos and treated as
though it contained asbestos without being tested or surveyed.
It turns out there are many asbestos testing and Abatement
Contractors. Some are listed locally in the Yellow Pages and
many others can be found online. I called someone and we
discussed all of the information I could find on my house. I had
my floor tested and it turned out to be fine. I didn't need to
have any asbestos removal or decontamination.
Perhaps I was a little paranoid, but I've seen the effects of
mesothelioma and I would just as soon not wait 30 to 50 years
before finding out that something that I thought wasn't exposure
actually was. If you live in a new home, you should nothing to
worry about but many people live in fine older homes that were
construction, repaired and renovated during times when
asbestos-based materials were commonly used. A bit of testing if
you think there's a possible risk is far less expensive that
what could be in store further down the road.
About the author:
Adrian Zhu is an author writing for
http://www.mybest-mesothelioma-pages.com
