DIYbanter - View Single Post - How dangerous is 3% asbestos in vinyl flooring?

wrote:
Meanwhile, i tried to contact my construction friend but he was out of
town. Then I got the lab results back and found that the vinyl
flooring tested positive for asbestos, 3%. So i drive to the property
immediately and found my friend already starting to tear out chunks of
the vinyl floor! I told him what i had found (3% asbestos in the
vinyl) and he seemed to not be too concerned and said that's a small
amount. I told him to wear a respirator mask for his own safety and
gave him a water bottle to wet down the floor so it wouldnt create
asbestos dust. I'm not sure if he'll follow my direction!

More to the point, there may be rules violations or worse.

Asbestos embedded in materials isn't considered the main problem, so
leaving asbestos in place is generally always considered a safe option.
But breaking it up could create contaminated dust, and there are
specific rules about handling it (watering is one, but so is
respiration, and so is disposal).

A local church was having some demolition done just like this, and the
handyman-quasi-contractor ripped out a lot of asbestos ceiling tile*
before the authorities got wind of it (may have been an anonymous tip).
He was sentenced to a felony with three years probation, IIRC.

* admittedly more crumbly than floor tile, but still