occupational health and safety issues
Renovating and Retiling your bathroom
when removing your old tiles whether vinyl or ceramic beware they contain harmful dusts


most of the existing adhesive used in the past contains asbestos do not scrape, sand or use removal methods that will create harmful dust. Contact the adhesive manufacturer and follow the guidelines outlined in the RESILIENT FLOOR COVERING INSTITUTE’s (RFCI) pamphlet, RECOMMENDED WORK PRACTICES FOR REMOVAL OF RESILIENT FLOOR COVERINGS.

Before its health hazards were documented, asbestos was commonly used in floor tiles, ceiling tiles and pipe insulation. If a material containing 1 percent or more asbestos is broken or crumbled, it is "rendered friable," and asbestos fibers can be released into the air. Inhaling airborne asbestos fibers can increase the risk of developing certain lung diseases including lung cancer, mesotheloma and asbestosis,
Lab reports in the last decade indicated that ceramic floor and wall tiles contained an average of three percent asbestos


Vinyl floor tiles and the associated adhesive also contain asbestos