Not only is tile dust messy, it is also dangerous. Long-term exposure to tile dust can bring about a number of health issues. When renovating your home, you want to take as many precautions as possible to keep you and your family safe.
What is Dust?
Everyone has probably heard of dust, but do you really know what it is? More than half of the household dust is soil that has been brought into your home by shoes, bare feet, or airborne particles. The other half is an assortment of debris such as skin cells, food products, mold, kitchen grease, and more.
Dust also contains bacteria and fungi. The average American household contains up to 7,000 types of dust-related bacteria and 2,000 species of fungi. Your carpet alone can contain up to 200,000 bacteria per square inch. During the floor removal process, any of the bacteria or fungi trapped under the tiles can be released into the air with the tile dust.
Chemicals can be found in dust. Many popular construction materials, such as tile, contain a material called crystalline silica.
Materials which create crystalline silica dust that are found in your flooring include:
- Quartz
- Stone
- Rock
- Sand
- Brick
The Dangers of Tile Dust
When the tile is broken apart and removed, crystalline silica can be ground down to microscopic particles and released into the air, creating dust that can lead to a variety of health complications. Crystalline silica is a lung carcinogen, meaning that constant exposure to this tile dust would cause serious lung problems.
According to the United States Department of Labor, “Silica dust is hazardous when very small (respirable) particles are inhaled. These respirable dust particles can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause disabling and sometimes fatal lung diseases, including silicosis and lung cancer, as well as kidney disease.”
Virtually Dustless Floor Removal
Whether you are removing tile, hardwood flooring, or carpet, the only way to have a dustless floor removal is to have the right equipment. With all of the dangers of dust inhalation, don’t take the risk. Call in the experts.
Speedy Floor Removal offers several floor removal packages that will leave your home free of dust. Speedy Dust Collection Systems collect almost one pound of dust per square foot, and our HEPA Certified Air Cleaners capture dust unseen to the eye. To learn more about our virtually dustless floor removal process, contact Speedy Floor Removal today.
