Asbesto in my building (apartment, co-op, home)

[yhconnie]

I live in a co-op. The building management advises us that there are asbesto in the first floor of the laundry room and the in basement parking garage. I live on 2nd floor of the co-op. They did set up a asbesto removal for the laundry room and parking garage. Should I hired someone to check my own apartment? Is there something I need to do? I am very concern as this is the first time co-op owner and not sure what needs to be done. thanks

[L'Artiste]

secretly report it before you end up with mesothelioma. my mother taught in a school with asbestos, now all her coworker and friends are dying of cancer

[yhconnie]

report to who?

[bluedog2]

Originally Posted by yhconnie

I live in a co-op. The building management advises us that there are asbesto in the first floor of the laundry room and the in basement parking garage. I live on 2nd floor of the co-op. They did set up a asbesto removal for the laundry room and parking garage. Should I hired someone to check my own apartment? Is there something I need to do? I am very concern as this is the first time co-op owner and not sure what needs to be done. thanks

My guess is that a good 90% of all buildings in NYC have asbestos in them somewhere.

Don't talk about it too much though because if word gets out you will devalue your apartment.

[NooYowkur81]

Originally Posted by yhconnie

I live in a co-op. The building management advises us that there are asbesto in the first floor of the laundry room and the in basement parking garage. I live on 2nd floor of the co-op. They did set up a asbesto removal for the laundry room and parking garage. Should I hired someone to check my own apartment? Is there something I need to do? I am very concern as this is the first time co-op owner and not sure what needs to be done. thanks

Asbestos as long as its not disturbed is not dangerous. It becomes dangerous when it is old and crumbly and someone disturbs it causing it to become airborne. If it was properly removed by a licensed company there should be no problem. However if you are really concerned you can consult with your management. If you are still concerned after speaking with management you can hire someone to run some tests in your apartment. Wont be cheap though.

[NooYowkur81]

Originally Posted by bluedog2

My guess is that a good 90% of all buildings in NYC have asbestos in them somewhere.

Don't talk about it too much though because if word gets out you will devalue your apartment.

Yes. But people need to understand that asbestos (like lead paint) up until maybe 20, 25 years ago was a very common building material used in all kinds of applications. For instance the caulk used on your windows could very well have asbestos in it if you live in an older building and have old windows. But simply having it in your home is not the issue it needs to be airborne.

[Kefir King]

It scares the bejesus out of me too. I think I am living with vinyl-asbestos floor tile and I don't know what to do about it.
So I do the Scarlett O'Hara routine and say "I'll think about it TOMORROW"

[Mightyqueen801]

Why don't you have an "s" at the end of asbestos, OP? It's not as though it's a plural.

You don't have to do anything about your floor tile unless you are going to pull it up. Asbestos is a mineral that is friable--it breaks down into ever smaller pieces that can be inhaled and then will cause a tumor to form in your lung. The tumors are impossible to kill and are so hard that they will break a surgical saw if they try to cut them out. That's why you die from asbestos-related cancers.

But if this mineral is an ingredient in your tile or other building materials, or if it's inside a wall as insulation, it's not going to suddenly free itself and come wafting up from your floor or squeeze through sheetrock or plaster. It's only a danger when it is broken up and allowed to float through the air. Hence, the reason why ACM-removal is done in an encapsulated area with HEPA filters and people with masks and its disposal is regulated so that it's put back down into the earth from whence it came.

Asbestos is in just about every building erected in the 20th century up to the early 1970's. Oven mitts used to contain asbestos because it blocks heat. One of the last places where asbestos was still legally usable was in brake pads in cars, but I think that ended in the 1990's. Pipes were wrapped with asbestos because it was a good insulation. It was used in floor and ceiling tiles, too.

The problem was that all the way back in the 1930s, the companies that manufactured asbestos products, like John-Mansville, knew that asbestos was a health hazard. There existed memos and documentation stating this, but that was before people tended to sue or look for others to blame for their diseases in the first place. However, when people working in construction began to get these tumors and die, their deaths could be traced back to the fact that they were all exposed to the same materials and lawsuit ensued, as well as regulation to stop the use of asbestos products. As part of that, there was a window of time in the late 1980s and early 1990s when building owners could remove ACM and recover the costs from the manufacturers.

[Kefir King]

asbestos was still legally usable was in brake pads in cars

During the War, Steve McQueen worked in a motor unit and a lot of his time was spent replacing brake linings and blowing out the loose dust.
He died a painful death from mesothelioma.


The current thinking is that if it is not to be disturbed, it is safer to LEAVE it than remove it. It is a danger when it is "friable" (able to be broken up and the tiny particles disbursed around freely.
I try to keep my floors covered and waxed. I don't know WHAY would be involved in pulling them up. If I decided to go hardwood, I would probably just COVER the vinyl asbestos.
I really should gget the stuff tested because the flooring was made with tiny amounts of asbestos all the way up to almost ALL asbestos.

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by Kefir King

During the War, Steve McQueen worked in a motor unit and a lot of his time was spent replacing brake linings and blowing out the loose dust.
He died a painful death from mesothelioma.


The current thinking is that if it is not to be disturbed, it is safer to LEAVE it than remove it. It is a danger when it is "friable" (able to be broken up and the tiny particles disbursed around freely.
I try to keep my floors covered and waxed. I don't know WHAY would be involved in pulling them up. If I decided to go hardwood, I would probably just COVER the vinyl asbestos.
I really should gget the stuff tested because the flooring was made with tiny amounts of asbestos all the way up to almost ALL asbestos.

I didn't realize that's how Steve McQueen died. I knew he had lung cancer, didn't know those details. Sad.

My grandfather died in 1972 of a tumor in his lung. They said it was inoperable. He was a plumber since the 1920s and had probably been exposed to asbestos for decades. Only after I was involved in monitoring costs for asbestos removal at work and took the courses to learn about it did it occur to me that he'd probably died because of asbestos.