Asbestos in old floor tiles and sheet vinyl

• The EPA lists vinyl floor tiles, the backing on vinyl sheet flooring, and adhesives among the places asbestos may be found in a home.¹
• Exposure may happen only when the material is disturbed or damaged in a way that releases fibers into the air.¹
• Generally you can't tell whether a material contains asbestos by looking at it, unless it's labeled. The EPA says that if in doubt, you should treat it as if it does and leave it alone.²
• OSHA's asbestos standard for construction says asphalt and vinyl flooring put in no later than 1980 has to be treated as containing asbestos unless the employer determines it doesn't.³

The EPA's advice for homeowners:²

• Don't sand or try to level asbestos flooring or its backing.
• Never use a power stripper on flooring that may contain asbestos, and don't use abrasive pads or brushes on a power stripper to strip wax from it.
• Don't dust, sweep or vacuum debris that may contain asbestos.
• When asbestos flooring needs replacing, put the new floor covering over it, if possible.

The EPA says you may want your home inspected by a trained and accredited asbestos professional if you're planning to remodel, since remodeling can disturb building materials. It doesn't recommend taking samples yourself, and it says that if materials aren't damaged and won't be disturbed, you don't need to have them tested.²

It also suggests hiring the professional who assesses the material from a different firm than the one that removes it, so there's no conflict of interest.²

The EPA says removal is complex and must be done only by a trained and accredited asbestos professional. Federal law doesn't require people who inspect, repair or remove asbestos in detached single-family homes to be trained and accredited, but some states and localities do, and the EPA says homeowners should make sure the workers they hire are.²

Many states run their own asbestos program, and the EPA keeps a list of each state's office.⁴ Ask yours what applies to a floor in a home.

OSHA's construction standard counts removing floor tile and sheeting as Class II asbestos work. When an employer's workers take up vinyl or asphalt flooring that contains asbestos, or flooring in a building built no later than 1980 that hasn't been shown to be free of it, the employer has to make sure they follow these practices:³

• The flooring or its backing isn't sanded.
• Floors are cleaned with a HEPA vacuum that has a disposable bag and a metal floor tool with no brush.
• Sheet flooring is cut out with the cut point kept wet, and wet as it's separated. Ripping it up is prohibited.
• Leftover adhesive and backing are scraped wet.
• No dry sweeping.
• No mechanical chipping, unless it's done inside a negative pressure enclosure.
• Tiles come up whole, unless the employer shows that isn't possible.
• The flooring, with its mastic and backing, is assumed to contain asbestos unless an industrial hygienist finds it free of asbestos by recognized lab methods.

These are duties OSHA puts on employers to protect their workers. You can ask a company whether its crew works this way.

• Whether the floor coming up could be old vinyl or asphalt tile or sheet vinyl, and when it was put in.
• Whether it's been tested, and by whom.
• If it may contain asbestos: who will take it up, and their asbestos training and accreditation.
• Whether the new floor can go over the old one instead.

Each company on this site is listed with its phone number where it has one. You can also send a request through the request form.