There are no health threats when asbestos containing building materials remain undisturbed and do not become airborne. Asbestos containing floor tile is a good example of a building material that is not a health hazard when in good condition. Normal wear will not release fibers, in fact you would have to burn, grind, or use extreme mechanical methods to release enough fibers to be a health concern. On the other hand, popcorn ceiling texture can easily become airborne. If you simply rub your hand over the surface you will cause a release of fibers.
The EPA has placed asbestos containing materials into two basic groups:
Friable asbestos is the worst of the two and is defined by the EPA as follows: “Friable asbestos material is any material containing more than 1 percent asbestos as determined using Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM), that, when dry, can be crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by hand pressure.” As you can imagine floor tile would be difficult to make friable, but popcorn ceiling texture would be relatively easy.
Non-Friable asbestos is defined by the EPA as follows: “Non-friable asbestos containing material is any material containing more than 1 percent asbestos as determined by Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM) that, when dry, cannot be crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by hand pressure.”
But this grouping only describes materials that are in place and undisturbed. The EPA further warns that if a non-friable material such as floor tile is very dry or in poor condition or gets run over by an excavator, loader, or other vehicle, it may become converted to a friable material.
The EPA only recognizes certain persons to legally make this determination, a certified building inspector, and an ADHERA Contractor/Supervisor, be aware that the local regulators that administer the NESHAP regulations have all the proper certifications as well.
Asbestos materials become a concern for General Contractors when during their scope of work they or their subcontractors are going to disturb the asbestos, through demolition or renovation activities.
