Hi,
My in-laws are in the process of fixing up a house they own. I'm not
sure of the exact date of construction, but it's pre-1977. As part of
the work, they're wanting to remove the old vinyl flooring that's
peeling up, to be replaced by ceramic tile. My question is what the
real risk from asbestos is here.
None of the "big-box" places will remove old vinyl flooring, citing
concerns about asbestos. So, they're planning to pull up the vinyl
flooring themselves, and then have someone come in to tile it (and
places have agreed to do this).
I've read online discussions about asbestos in old vinyl flooring and
the bonding agents, usually recommending you get some professional
asbestos removal people to come in and test, then remove the flooring.
But, it's tough for me to tell how much is "this is a real danger" vs.
"we'll tell you this is a danger to prevent lawsuits". From those
sites, it seems that the asbestos only poses a significant risk after
chronic exposure for a long period of time. I would have guessed that
_lots_ of do-it-yourself folks pull up old vinyl floors without having a
professional asbestos removal agent do it, but the websites I read sound
somewhat alarmist about it.

So, my specific questions are (assuming the flooring does have asbestos
in it - we don't know):
1) Is there a real issue of dangerous amounts of asbestos being released
from removing this flooring?
2) Once the flooring has been removed and taken away, would the asbestos
fibers then be around in the air/house? The area where the flooring was
will be tiled over, so there won't be an "open" source of asbestos
fibers later on.
3) For how long (if at all) would any released asbestos fibers be a
danger to working/living in the area (i.e. could we safely be painting
in there the next day, or is this going to be a health hazard to someone
moving in there a few weeks later?).

I understand you aren't lawyers, but I'd appreciate any practical
advice, including experience you've had with tearing out such old
flooring yourself. Thanks!

- John