If you’re renovating your bathroom and putting in new tile, it’s not going to contain asbestos fibers. New tile in the United States never does, as the use of asbestos has been prohibited for around 50 years.
But you do still need to consider asbestos risks if you have an older home. Specifically, tile that was installed before the 1970s may contain asbestos fibers.
And it’s not just the tiles themselves. You can also find asbestos in cement sheets, vinyl flooring, rubber tile and even the adhesives used to connect the tile to the floor. For instance, vinyl sheet flooring may not contain asbestos itself, but the backing can.
Why is removal a problem?
It certainly can be a positive step to remove these dangerous products from your home. But the removal process itself can be problematic because sanding, cracking, cutting, drilling or otherwise breaking up the tile releases the asbestos particles into the air.
The danger from these microscopic particles is that they will become trapped in your lungs and surrounding tissues when you inhale them. This isn’t to say that it is safe to have asbestos in an intact tile, but simply that breaking the tiles up to remove them from the house releases very dangerous dust into your home. The air system can then circulate this dust throughout the house, potentially exposing multiple people.
Your legal options
As you can imagine, this means that remodeling teams and construction crews often face a high level of potential exposure to asbestos. If you have developed mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases, be sure you know what legal steps to take.
