A recent Minnesota home and garden article discussed 1950′s floor tile in a home that was suspected to contain asbestos. A person asked whether they should remove the tiles or if there was a way to cover them. An expert recommended that the person cover the tiles and then gave some advice on an easy way to cover them.
We have to say that we completely disagree with this advice. Any level of asbestos exposure can cause mesothelioma, and doing anything to the tiles could cause asbestos to be released into the air where it could be breathed or swallowed and lead to mesothelioma down the road.
Additionally, the law regulates how asbestos in construction and renovation must be handled. Almost every day, there is a news report of some location around the country that attempted to deal with asbestos in a fast, inexpensive manner and someone was either dangerously exposed, or the person/organization responsible for the property or renovation was cited, fined, or will face prison time.
Asbestos is deadly. Covering it up for someone down the road to unknowingly be exposed to is careless at best. If you know it is there, you must take steps to protect anyone in the future from being exposed to it. What if the house was sold?
Daily, we mesothelioma attorneys stand for the rights of people who had a right to know what they were being exposed to. When it comes to asbestos in renovations, we say, “Protect everyone—both now and in the future. Advise authorities and follow the law.”
Tags: asbestos, mesothelioma
