Should I be worried, Re: asbestos

[tommyzooom]

I've started stripping a bathroom today, Chicken tiles that are so well stuck on, we are contemplating tiling over,
Hammer and chisel won't touch them, Kango is taking them off in shards!

One small section of studwork,( 1.2x1.2m) I have removed a corner to expose what appears identical to 6mm No More Ply cement board.
Considering this was put up in 1968 is there a danger of asbestos?
I plan to rip this down and renew with NMP btw.
How best to proceed?
TIA

 

[White Room]

Your choice is get a sample tested and go from there, I would be wearing a mask and not one of the cheap dust mask types...if possible do not disturb it thats when it becomes a problem because of the fibres that are released and are breathed in..

Now the choice is yours, do I stop the job and find out more or take a chance and continue..I know what i would be doing.

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

Hi Andrew, been racking my brains trying to think what this might be, I was an apprentice in 68 can't recall anything like NMP back then. Maybe as Mark suggests, get a sample tested, can't be to careful. Good luck.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

There was a time when all soil pipes were brought inside the buildings (usually flats) and they were framed with asbestos boards for fire regulations. We were never aware of the implications/dangers that would develop with this material and fortunately we just had to tile over them, not cut them! If it looks like cement boards and is pre 1980 its is almost certainly ASBESTOS. It would now be a moral decision as to the way to proceed, but I would inform the client and provide them with the telephone number of your local environmental agency who will advise the next course of action.

 

[Aston]

if in doubt, proceed with caution andrew!! obviously its going to take time and money to get it tested so as above with regards to a good respirator and even disposable overalls. be very careful when disturbing this board, go easy and seal the board with an acryllic primer or even a strong coat of pva prior to ripping it out because it will seal the surface and help prevent the fibres becoming air bourne.. good luck and take care, because if it does contain asbestos then you really need to get it sorted by a specialist disposal company who deal with this type of procedure.

 

[Rob Z]

Phil, Timeless, some of the guys I know that have been in the trade since the 60's have told me b efore that they used to have bags of very fine asbestos fibers which they would add to grout and what they called "pure" (the thin, runny paste of cement and water used to bond tiles to fresh mortar). As much of that old thick-set tile that I've torn out over the years, I'm sure I've been exposed to plenty of asbestos and never knew about it.

 

[tommyzooom]

Just to update this, I found the board was screwed on with fine screws, and after chipping off a corner(I damped it down first), I was able to pop off the sheet with the tiles still attached (the screwheads pulled through the board). And out straight into the skip

 

[White Room]

Phil, Timeless, some of the guys I know that have been in the trade since the 60's have told me b efore that they used to have bags of very fine asbestos fibers which they would add to grout and what they called "pure" (the thin, runny paste of cement and water used to bond tiles to fresh mortar). As much of that old thick-set tile that I've torn out over the years, QUOTE]I'm sure I've been exposed to plenty of asbestos and never knew about it.[/

YET ????

Just to update this, I found the board was screwed on with fine screws, and after chipping off a corner(I damped it down first), I was able to pop off the sheet with the tiles still attached (the screwheads pulled through the board). And out straight into the skip

If it's aspestos it dos'nt go in the skip..