Asbestos Tile Removal: Avoiding a Health Hazard

Asbestos tile removal takes time and money. Most people can find the time to rip up dangerous asbestos, but not everyone has the money.

So what do you do when you want to save a few dollars and remove your asbestos tile? Here is a basic guide on what to do if you suspect you have asbestos tile on your property.

Start With an Asbestos Tile Removal Professional

No amount of reading on the internet can help you assess if your tiles have asbestos in them. You need an expert to see them in person and evaluate your tiles. then you'll know if you need a professional to remove the tiles or if you can remove them safely.

So first and foremost, call in an expert to evaluate the tiles.

Why a Professional?

You may be thinking that you could save a few dollars by just ripping the asbestos tiles yourself. You absolutely would save money by doing the job yourself. But if your tiles do have asbestos, you'll also be putting yourself and your family at great risk.

If you suspect you have asbestos roof tiles, do not panic. Yes, asbestos is dangerous. Breathing in asbestos fibers increases your risk of lung diseases including cancer and mesothelioma.

Asbestos is also common. Avoid the thought that there's something wrong with your property. Most likely, you have a building constructed before 1980, since contractors regularly used materials with asbestos at this time.

A professional will be able to tell you definitely if you have asbestos and if the asbestos is contained

Suppose the professional contractor identifies asbestos in your ceiling or roof tiles. In that case, they next will determine if the asbestos has begun to break down and release its fibers into the air. If you have bonded cement with asbestos, you have less risk of the asbestos floating through the air.

If the professional determines you have asbestos ceiling tiles and not asbestos in bonded cement, do not remove the tiles on your own. A contractor with specialized asbestos removal training will work to leave your home clean of all dangerous materials.

Should you attempt to remove the tiles on your own, do so with great caution. If you break asbestos tiles, the asbestos will go airborne, and these particles will make you sick. If the tile breaks, spray water onto the tiles to limit their dust particles.

Clean Up Your Business

If you suspect asbestos in your business, call in a professional. You do not want to try to deal with this dangerous dust on your own. Doing so puts your customers at significant health risk and puts you at great financial risk.

Over 4,000 people filed asbestos lawsuits in 2019 in the United States. Thus, asbestos can cause serious illness and injury. It also poses a huge liability for your business

Types of Asbestos Cleanup

If you do opt to have a professional clean up your asbestos, they will do so using one of two approaches: encapsulation and full removal.

Encapsulation requires the least amount of work and thus costs less than full removal. The encapsulation method will reinforce the asbestos with an adhesive. This adhesive bonds to the tiles and creates a sort of cement that encapsulates the asbestos.

Thus, the asbestos stays in the fibers and does not escape into the air.

Full removal requires more labor and costs more money, but this method will leave your property free of asbestos. Trained professionals will come into your building with appropriate clothing, gloves, and respirators. They will wet the tile that has asbestos, remove the materials, and then suck up any residual materials with a special vacuum cleaner.

While the full removal costs more, it also leaves you with more peace of mind than encapsulation.

If your asbestos is in a high area, the professionals will use scaffolding to reach the difficult areas. Ultimately, you need to remember that if you have the asbestos fully removed, you will need to replace it with appropriate replacement tiles.

You also will have to call in a tradesperson to patch any holes left behind.

Where to Store and Dispose of Asbestos Roof Tiles

If you remove your asbestos tiles, you will need to double-bag the tiles in plastic bags. Wet the asbestos first so the fibers do not float through the air.

If you have cement tiles, you will have to use heavy-duty bags along with asbestos warning labels.

You cannot simply throw your asbestos tiles out with the weekly trash. Doing so would put hundreds of workers at risk. Instead, you must take your asbestos to an approved landfill.

When you hire a professional company, they will typically care for your disposal as well. Thus you save yourself the headache of trying to find a waste facility that accepts this toxic garbage.

Paying For Asbestos Removal

Experts do not remove asbestos for free. If you need to remove asbestos, you can expect to pay between $1,100 and $2,800. This includes an inspection, removal of asbestos, and disposal fees.

The area of the asbestos as well as the quantity of asbestos will affect the price.

Removal Leads to Relief

Ultimately, whether you're removing the tile yourself or having a professional do the job, asbestos tile removal will lead to relief. You can breathe easily at night knowing you and the rest of the people in the facility aren't breathing in toxic fibers.

Do you suspect asbestos on your property? If so, contact us.

We have some of the best and most efficient customer service professionals in the clean-up industry. We take all of our client's needs seriously. Our live operators are available to take calls from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (PST).

We also take care of more than asbestos. If you have any toxic cleanup, we can help. Give us a call today, so you can breathe easy tonight.