Did i do a good enough job? How long can it stay in the air?
We bought a house a few months ago and had to pull the floor tiles. They were 9 inch tiles. Later i found out 9 inch tiles can contain asbestos. The place was built in the 50s so it is likely. We pulled the tiles 3 months ago. I didnt let my kids enter the house during this time or for some time after. When the tiles were replaced i wiped everything down ( ceiling to floor) removed the blinds from the windows and bought a HEPA filter air purifier.
I ran the HEPA filter in there and all the other rooms for a few months before letting the kids go back in the house. It has been 3 months since the tiles were removed, replaced and we have used the HEPA the whole time. Is there still any risk? We had to move in since we couldnt afford to pay rent and the house payment at the same time.
How long can it stay in the air and can it still be there 3 months after the fact and after using a HEPA air purifier? Are my kids at risk? Im still very nervous about this. Any info would be helpful. Thanks
Asbestos only goes airborne as a dust. It is quite visible, so if the dust in the air has been cleaned by the use of the HEPA unit, you are good to go. The tiles produce very little dust, so it was probably clear within 24 hours of finishing the tile removal. The real asbestos scare is from asbestos strands breaking into particles, then becoming airborne, almost always related to removal or remodeling. If you encapsulate the asbestos, you have also removed the threat.
When an air cleaner cleans the air it is actually pulling all of the air in the room through the filter. The filter is, by definition, capable of cleaning the air at an efficiency of 99.97% down to 0.3 microns. Once all of the air has been pulled through the filter, you are left with only clean air. We sell the Sun Pure SP-20C at http://www.allergy-relief-air-purifier.com/portable-air-purifiers.html and it is able to clean the air in a 2,000 sq ft area by completely changing the air one time every hour. That means that all of the air in a 2,000 sq ft area is passing through the filter one time every hour. This is the same unit used in hospitals for its efficiency and effectiveness. I hope this helps.