chipped old vinyl tiles with asbestos content - health hazard or not?

ok, firstly, i think it is important to realise that a lot of people on this site are offering answers for the sake of answering. its improtant to recognise these answers and disregard them. in answer to your main question. the tiles themselves offer no tangible danger to your health, the adhesive they have been stuck down with does. The HSE have a guide on this: -

http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/regulations.htm

the reason that the tiles offer no risk is because of the way that the tiles were made. as long as you are careful taking them up ( you should find that they will lift quite easily). you can put them inside a rubble sack then tape the sack up, take to the tip and place in the hazardous waste skip. the floor tiles are not covered under the asbestos regs and no special COSHH considerations need to be undertaken ( see the HSE website for COSHH essentials, you can build a COSHH report on this site and take it with you to the tip if you like). like i said though, the adhesive is another thing entirely. no specialist contractors are required and it wont cost you much to sort this out, go to B&Q and buy some PVA unibond type stuff, and mix it 50:50 with water. pour this on the floor after you have taken up the tiles and brush it out then leave it to dry, job done....!

stay away from bad people.....

Marley Vinyl Floor Tiles

The hazard from asbestos is when a fine powder is inhaled. Most of the asbestos in the tiles is impregnated into the tile and even if pulverized it is not easily inhaled. The fine asbestos dust particles get embedded in your lungs and causes irritations that become cancer in smokers. I wonder if 30 years from now the same problem will be showing up in fiberglass workers.

I doubt it is a significant hazard.

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RE:

chipped old vinyl tiles with asbestos content - health hazard or not?

My floor covered with above. Websites say 'health hazard' and get blokes in space suits to remove them. Surveyor working for my landlord says "You could pulverise those tiles to a fine powder, snort 'em up your nose and you still wouldn't do yourself any damage." Who is...

If the asbestos is bonded (cement, vinyl) then the health risks are absolutely minimal. It's when it's fluffy and loose that the risks start.

Q: How on earth do you know that they have an absestos content?

The dust is what is dangerous. Rather than tear the tiles up, which would create a lot of dust, you could just lay a new subfloor on top of them using 3/8" or 1/2" plywood and then lay new vinyl tile or some other flooring material on top of the subfloor. The asbestos is not dangerous unless dust particles from it are airborne.

Never mess with asbestos especially the blue.You wouldn't have the necessary mask filter to stop you breathing in the dust. Asbestos fibers are so small they can go through ordinary filters. Once inhaled they imbed themselves in the wall of the lung and in 30 to 40 years you can develop asbestosis. Usually fatal. That's why the professionals suit up and have special masks for the job. Best to leave it to them.

He has to be joking. Never breathe in the dust from Asbestos it will give you lung cancer.

Best to use face & hair protection, carefully lift the tiles and place in a strong plastic bag, take to council waste site and tell them what you have they will dispose properly, I hope.

Make sure you shower well afterwards, and take care.

years ago it was thought okay to use asbestos, the health risk was not considered then. my mums old garage was made out of sheets of asbestos, when she decided to have it taken down she was advised to get it inspected by the environmental officer from her local council. they said it had to removed by professional people wearing special suits, the financial cost to remove it was very high. its not worth the risk to your health to cut corners here, your landlord needs to get it removed properley, sounds like hes trying to keep costs down.