Asbestos 9''x9'' Floor Tile VAT

Vinyl Asbestos Tile 

(picture taken in a basement in Mt.Vernon NY)

VAT (vinyl asbestos tile) 

9''x9'' tiles are typical of vinyl flooring tile prior to 1978. In 1978 the EPA deemed building material greater then 1% Asbestos content could not be used. However there were several building products that were used up until 1989 that still contained asbestos material. The most common form of asbestos material used during this period was mastic, this is the black material that binds onto the back of the tile to adhere it onto the floor. You will sometimes find mastic in the interior foundations, mastic was used to waterproof interior foundation walls.

Here are some interesting facts that that people won't tell you about asbestos:

• The Asbestos lobbying group is one of the largest in the nation. 
•  If you are a home owner and are removing the asbestos material in your own home it is completely legal. People are continuously under the assumption that they must hire an abatement company to remove there asbestos 
•  If there is asbestos in a home it does not "have to be remove". Unless your particular loan or grant companies are contingent on removal of any product
• The cheapest and most effective way to prevent asbestos from becoming friable is to encapsulate it. There are EPA approved sealants that are available online or at Grainger