As part of a home remodeling project, I recently removed a newer ceramic tile floor which was (poorly) installed in my kitchen. After removing the tile and the 1/4" plywood subfloor which was nailed directly over the original 1970's vinyl, I was left with the dozens of nails which had held the plywood. After pulling most of the nails with my pry bar, a friend suggested the vinyl may contain asbestos. I knew older 1950's 9x9 tiles contained asbestos but was unaware newer 1970's vinyl sheeting was suspect. However, a quick trip to the local test lab confirmed a 15% - 20% asbestos content in the felt backing of my original floor. I know asbestos is only dangerous when the material is disturbed and the fibers become airborne. Obviously, pulling ringed nails from the vinyl disturbed the felt backing though I suspect the exposer level was minimal. For those of you who work in the flooring/remodeling trades, I suspect you encounter asbestos on a somewhat frequent basis. Other than taking reasonable precautions to avoid exposure, how concerned are you with minimal or incidental exposures to airborne asbestos? Predictably, the inter-webs offer wide and varied opinions regarding the health risks of low level or incidental asbestos exposure. Thanks!

One time, minimal exposure - I’m not worried. Wash everything, keep things damp when cleaning, etc will help minimize residuals.

Asbestos is a real issue for long-term, significant exposure to fibers. Inhaling over long time, plus smoking = increased cancer risk. Think of guys in WW II working insulating boilers on ships under construction. Or miners in Libby, MT.

I wouldn't be too worried about it. The abatement companies and labs that I've used in the past with flooring all pretty much said you have to grind the stuff up and snort it to be an issue. That being said, I wouldn't want to work in their environment on a daily basis.