Asbestos in Older Florida Homes

Where It Hides, When It’s a Risk, and the Rules for Removing It

Asbestos was once used in many common building products for its strength and heat resistance. Plenty of older Central Florida homes still contain it in flooring, textured ceilings, roofing, siding, or pipe insulation. That isn’t automatically a danger. Asbestos becomes a health risk when it’s damaged or disturbed and its fibers get into the air, which is exactly what happens during a careless remodel. Knowing where it might be, and when to leave it alone, matters most if you’re buying or renovating an older home.

Short version: You can’t tell if a material contains asbestos by looking at it, unless it’s labeled. EPA’s advice is to treat suspect material as if it does and leave it alone if it’s intact. Intact material isn’t likely to pose a health risk. Fibers are released when it’s cut, sanded, drilled, scraped, or crumbling. Before remodeling, have suspect materials sampled by a trained professional. In Florida, that’s a licensed asbestos consultant, and EPA warns against sampling it yourself. Damaged material can be repaired by sealing or enclosing it, or removed by a trained professional. Florida licenses asbestos consultants and contractors through the DBPR. The law lets owners handle asbestos on a home they live in that isn’t for sale or lease, but EPA recommends hiring accredited professionals. Federal demolition rules generally don’t cover homes with four or fewer units.

Where asbestos may be in a home

EPA lists these as products that historically contained asbestos:

Basements and steam heat are rare in Florida, so the materials most likely to come up in a Central Florida renovation are older floor tiles and their adhesive, textured ceilings and walls, roofing, siding, and attic insulation.

Why it matters: health effects

According to EPA, breathing asbestos fibers raises the risk of three serious diseases:

• Lung cancer.
• Mesothelioma: A rare cancer of the lining around the lungs, chest, abdomen, and heart.
• Asbestosis: A progressive, long-term lung disease.

Symptoms can take many years to appear after exposure, and smoking increases the risk. That long delay is why it’s worth handling a renovation correctly, even if nobody feels sick at the time.

When to leave it alone, and when to act

• Intact and undisturbed: EPA says intact asbestos material isn’t likely to pose a health risk. Leave it alone and check it periodically for tears, abrasions, or water damage. Testing isn’t needed if it won’t be disturbed.
• Slightly damaged: Limiting access to the area and not disturbing it may be the best option.
• More than slightly damaged, or before a remodel: Have a trained professional sample it, then repair or remove it as needed.

Repair vs. removal: Repair leaves the asbestos in place. It can be encapsulated, sealed with a coating that binds the fibers, or enclosed, covered with something that keeps fibers in, such as a wrap on pipes. Removal is more complex and is needed when a remodel will disturb the material or when the damage can’t be repaired. For flooring, EPA suggests considering new flooring installed over old asbestos tile rather than tearing it out.

EPA’s don’ts for homeowners:

• Don’t dust, sweep, or vacuum debris that may contain asbestos.
• Don’t saw, sand, scrape, or drill asbestos materials.
• Don’t use power strippers on asbestos flooring or sand its backing.
• Don’t track material through the house. If you must walk through an affected area, wet-mop it.
• Don’t take samples yourself. EPA says untrained sampling can be more hazardous than leaving the material alone.

Florida rules: who can test and remove it

Licensing: Florida’s asbestos law (Chapter 469) is administered by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), which licenses asbestos consultants and asbestos contractors. According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), a Florida-licensed asbestos consultant can perform sampling, and DEP doesn’t test buildings itself. You can look up licensed consultants and contractors through DBPR’s online license search.

The owner exemption: Under Florida Statute 469.002, a homeowner can move, remove, or dispose of asbestos materials on a residential building they occupy, if the building isn’t for sale or lease and the work follows owner-builder rules. The owner must personally sign the building permit application. Being allowed to do it isn’t the same as it being wise. EPA recommends hiring trained, accredited professionals, and using separate firms for testing and removal to avoid a conflict of interest.

Florida law also has narrower exemptions:

• Licensed roofing contractors removing asbestos roofing under a trained supervisor.
• Removal of certain nonfriable resilient flooring, with 3 days’ written notice to DBPR.

Federal demolition and renovation rules: The federal asbestos NESHAP rules require notice to regulators and specific handling for regulated renovations and demolitions. DEP’s FAQ says residential buildings with four or fewer units are generally exempt. That exemption doesn’t apply if the building is part of a larger project, was used commercially, or is being demolished for a commercial structure. Single-family home roofing projects aren’t regulated by NESHAP. Your local building department may still have its own requirements for demolition permits.

Disposal: Asbestos waste must be wetted and sealed in leak-tight, labeled containers and taken to a landfill permitted to accept it. DEP district offices can provide a list.

What to require from a contractor

EPA recommends asking for proof of training and licensing, checking the company’s record, and getting a written contract that covers:

• The work plan, cleanup, and applicable regulations.
• Sealing the work area with plastic sheeting and shutting off heating and air conditioning.
• Wetting materials before removal and avoiding breaking them into small pieces.
• Cleaning with wet methods and HEPA vacuums, never ordinary vacuums.
• Disposing of waste in sealed, labeled, heavy-duty bags.
• Keeping family and pets out until the job is done, with possible air monitoring afterward.
• Written confirmation at the end that all procedures were followed.

Shutting off the AC matters in Florida. A running system can spread fibers through the ducts to the rest of the house. See the Florida AC guide.

Buying or renovating an older home

• Before you buy: A standard home inspection may not include asbestos testing. If you plan to remodel, consider having suspect materials sampled during your inspection period so removal costs are part of your offer. See the home inspection checklist.
• Before you renovate: Test before tearing out floors, ceilings, or walls, not after. See buying a fixer-upper in Florida, which also covers lead paint rules for pre-1978 homes.
• After a storm: Hurricane damage can break up older roofing, siding, and ceilings. Keep people away from damaged materials, and treat debris from older buildings as possibly containing asbestos until it’s tested. See the hurricane prep checklist.
• Moisture and mold: Water damage can both degrade asbestos materials and feed mold. See Florida mold prevention.

Sources

• EPA, Learn About Asbestos
• EPA, Protect Your Family from Exposures to Asbestos
• Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Asbestos FAQ
• Florida Statutes, Section 469.002: Exemptions (asbestos abatement)

This article is for general informational purposes only and isn’t financial, legal, insurance, or tax advice – for guidance specific to your situation, talk to a licensed professional.