Asbestos floor tiles 😢

[Pennythoughts28]

We lifted the entirety of our downstairs about 2 years ago , honestly asbestos floortiles was something I've never heard off
I was talking to someone today who actually worked as a builder when my estate was being built and we got talking , and he said you have lifted asbestos tiles , probably more than one layer 🙈
I'm actually extremely worried as I have young children 😢 the guilt is awful , I might sound stupid but I just didnt know about this at all 😢 do I need to do anything now , are my kids going to be ok
I have insulation in attic too that hangs down , do I need professional to remove this , I normally just push my Christmas stuff under i
Does it all need binned , at this point I feel like moving out , I'm horrified 😢

If you have lifted the floor then surely they are gone now? Even if there was a second layer which seems a baseless suggestion and not usual, wouldn't they be covered by a new flooring? I think it all sounds fine, Asbestos is not all the same thing and if left undisturbed is usually fine. If you think there is some in loft then it's only a problem if you go up there so maybe treat it like a new build and assume loft is out of bounds. Asbestos exists is pretty much all old houses, hospitals, schools and offices etc. It's not nice nut really only a problem when disturbed.

You've jut met someone who laid these tiles.. what.. 50 years ago? And he is still alive enough to tell the tale. I'm sure you'll be fine also.
It's not even particularly clear how true this information is. You can do asbestos survey in your loft if you want and they will give you advice based on findings.

I would get a survey done. Hopefully all will be fine. If removal is required this needs to be done by a reputable professional business. Asbestos can be extremely dangerous but if it's contained shouldn't be an issue. However, it's important to know if it's there in case you end up disturbing it.

Think of how often this happens. People and builders are renovating millions of homes all the time, every day and have been for decades. Yes, proceed with caution in the future, but it’s not panic worthy.

Yes it's all gone now , but that's the issue we did disturb it lol

Disturbing it means possibly creating fine asbestos dust particles that can be breathed in. Now it's covered and gone then so is the risk of dust going forward. Should be all fine 😃 as risk has now passed.

I’m seeing this panic over and over again on mumsnet now. I work in the asbestos industry, and have spent many years in the lab where sampled materials are analysed too. Asbestos floor tiles are one of the HARDEST materials to get fibres out of. You would have to reduce them to dust. Lab techs often have to smash a tile to pieces with a pestle and mortar just to get anything vaguely identifiable from it for testing.

I really wouldn’t give it a second thought.

This is incorrect. Asbestos floor tiles are non-licensed, so you do not need to get a licensed contractor in to remove them. You are perfectly entitled to remove them yourself, just as you can artex, cement shed roof sheets etc. They are very low risk items.

The tiles will be fine - relax about those.

However, nastier stuff can hang about in the loft, particularly pipe lagging. Educate yourself about what it looks like and treat it with respect.

I was referring to the possibility of asbestos elsewhere in the house eh the attic. But appreciate your commentary. I know a little but you are clearly more of an expert.

I just had tiles taken out of my place by a licensed contractor. It cost £££ but I’m doing so much work it would be mad to put all the new on top. Now I can sell in future and say it’s all certified gone. There were traces left around the edges of the rooms - the man taking it away assured me it was very low grade stuff and while it contains asbestos fibre it’s all well bound/ not the problem kind that can easily be breathed in. Roof insulation and other fibre boards might not be so friendly. I got a good price from Acorn Asbestos to survey and then they got 3 quotes to remove and did all the testing. Very good and worth the piece of mind - you can often label it amd leave it undisturbed. So maybe get a survey if you’re worrying. Good luck

This. I really wouldn't be at all concerned about asbestos floor tiles.

I'm an electrician, work in buildings every day, work with asbestos - I've scraped up piles of the old Marley floor tiles you are talking about.

Don't worry, the asbestos used as a filler in vinyl tiles is the least dangerous type, in many parts of the world (including Cornwall) it is present in the air from local rock all the time to some extent.

The fibres are doused in the floor tile vinyl to such an extent that even scraping up the crumbling tiles won't cause much release of fibre.

Forget it and relax!!

People are uneducated though, I went out to a primary school a few years back where an accident had occurred and a trolley had smashed into an AIB (asbestos insulating board) partition, listed and labelled on the inventory - smashing the board, which contained blue asbestos to bits - the head teacher had a little gang of children helpfully sweeping up the bits, oh dear!